Father of Polish road victim warns: think before you drive
Bolestaw Hirostaw, father of Sylwester Szczyrow, said: "If any of you are writing an article you should say that this should be a lesson for other drivers.
"It has hurt our family, so people should think five times before they drive."
The four young men were yesterday buried in their hometown amid emotional scenes.
Rafal Gorski, 28, Sylwester Szczyrow, 25, Andrzej Wojciechowski, 27, and 23-year-old Radoslaw Nowak died instantly after their Polish-registered Opel Astra collided with a truck at Goggin's Hill, close to Ballinhassig, Co Cork, on April 14.
Yesterday, the four friends, who had all lived in Ballincollig, Co Cork, were buried following separate funeral services held at two-hour intervals.
Crowds of more than 300 people attended the various funerals in the town of Pisz in north-eastern Poland.
Locals from the town of 19,000 joined the family and friends of the four men at the ceremonies.
Some had travelled back from the Cork area for the funerals, while Ballincollig priest Fr John O'Donovan was a con-celebrant in all four services.
Speaking to the various congregations, Fr O'Donovan said the four Poles had been "fine young men".
"It's a privilege and an honour for me today to share in and be part of your grieving and sadness," he said.
Fr O'Donovan said thousands of Poles were making a "great contribution" to Irish society and that the people of Ireland wished to extend sympathy and condolences to the people of Pisz, especially the families of the four men.
"The hearts of all of us, including mine, are breaking with the sadness and the sorrow," he told the crowds.
The bodies of the men had been transported back to Poland over land, having been collected on Friday.
The HSE Southern Area paid €4,000 towards the repatriation of the bodies about half the total cost.
More than 5,000 people died in road accidents last year in Poland, which has a population of 38.2 million.
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