Four young women killed in Galway crash, fifth critical

[stpauls]

dear lord, god help their families in this tragic time.
RIP, and my thoughts and prayers are with them!!

[orangeman]

Horrific, RIP.

I really wish the Road Safety Authority would hold back on the self congratulations (publicly at least) on the positive downward movement of road fatalities until the year actually fecking ends. Once again, I was filled with that familiar sense of foreboding at their boasting two days ago of 2009 likely to be the lowest year on record for road fatalities. As sure as eggs are eggs...

+1


Terrible tragedy.

[catweazle]

I would like to thank the quick reaction to what I can only guess were locals that came upon the crash, came along that road around 8 and had to brake suddenly when I saw a guy come out of the pissing rain in a yellow high vis jacket frantically waving us to stop. We were all sent down a secondary route.

Once we came back out on the N17, we saw ambulances and cop cars flying towards the scene, so I think they might have well prevented more cars coming into the crash scene, weather was atrocious, one of thoese nights when full wipers were on and still difficult to drive so I would blame no-one yet J70.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I wouldn't have fancied driving anywhere last night in the west. It was absolutely bucketing down rain all day and night. Even with wipers on full blast I'd say you would have been struggling to see out the windscreen in the dark and some of the roads in that area of north Galway are terrible.

RIP.

[Declan]

A workmate of the missus knew 2 of the girls. Tragic
RIP

[joemamas]

God help them and thier families.


I do not want to deviate from the tradgedy, but one thing that really bugs the crap out of me in Ireland is people complaining about tolls on new roads. If there was a highway system or even a parkway system (.i.e one way with dividers) a lot of these accident could or would be avoided. Yet the Govt or whoever continue to bypass towns with single lane roads, it is so short sighted.

Had a very close one two years ago, when stopped for road works on a single lane road. A guys ploughs into a van which was two cars behing mine, drove it accross the ditch, I was driving a small minivan with two kids in back row,  I dont think I am still over the shock.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Not a pretty sight, and not a chance...

[redhugh]

Horrible stuff alright, may their families find the courage and strength to deal with such tragedy.
RIP.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Horror crash prompts plea from Garda Commissioner


Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy today urged motorists to take care on the roads after four young women were killed in a horror crash.

The top officer offered his sympathies to the families of the four NUI Galway university students who died after their car ploughed into a pick-up truck at a notorious accident black spot.

Three of the women died at the scene – on the Galway/Mayo border – while a fourth was taken to hospital, where doctors were unable to save her.

The victims were named locally as Marie Ni Chonghaile, 19, from Ballynahone, Co Galway; Theresa Molloy, 19, Lettermore, Co Galway; Sarah Byrne, 20, Headford, Co Galway and 19-year-old Sorcha Rose McLoughlin from Wexford.

A 21-year-old woman, believed to be the driver of the car, is fighting for her life in hospital.

The Commissioner said: "It is under investigation by the Garda Siochana but my sympathy goes out to the parents and friends of the whole communities where these young people were.

"My abiding message to everybody is to take care on the roads."

The Commissioner said road deaths were down 40 on the same period last year but much work still needed to be done to save lives.

"These are difficult times and An Garda Siochana are out making every effort to prevent deaths and tragedies like what happened last night, real tragedies, to try and prevent as many as possible."

The five women were all arts students at NUI Galway, which said it was shocked by the tragic deaths.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of the four NUI Galway students involved in the road traffic accident at Ballindine last evening," NUI Galway said in a statement.

"The untimely death of our students has shocked the university community and we wish to extend our deepest sympathies to all of their families, classmates and friends at this time.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the fifth student involved."

Staff at NUI Galway said they will work with students as they try to come to terms with the death of the four students.

"The university wishes to express its heartfelt concern for all involved in this tragic accident," NUI Galway said.

"We will do all we can to support our students during this very difficult time."

The stretch of road between the villages of Ballindine, Co Mayo, and Milltown in Co Galway remained sealed off as gardai investigated the scene.

The cause of the crash is not yet known although driving conditions in the area had been poor with very heavy rain.

Parish priest Fr Michael Kenny was called to the scene at about 8pm last night, shortly after the collision.

"I went to the N17, halfway between Tuam and Milltown, on a notorious bend in the road," he said.

"I found two cars crashed – one was a pick-up truck, the other a Renault car which had the bodies of three young girls.

"An horrific sight."

Fr Kenny remained at the scene for more than four hours administering last rites and supporting emergency crews as they removed the bodies from the wreckage.

"The weather was terrible. There was terrible rain and the road conditions were pathetic," he said.

Fr Kenny, who offered this morning's Mass for the young women, said the area was notorious for accidents as the road narrows to a sharp bend on a slight incline.

"It is a very notorious spot. It is renowned for car accidents," he said.

"It's on a corner but there's a drop-off, a slope, as you are coming round and you can lose control."

Fr Kenny offered his sympathies to the dead women's families and friends.

[johnpower]

Terrible tragedy ,My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends

[The Real Laoislad]

Terrible news and it certainly puts tonight's result in the soccer into perspective

RIP

[fearsiuil]

J70, whilst taking your point in general terms, I think your posts here are highly insensitive to the point of suggesting that you remove them.These families are suffering enough at the huge losses they have had to endure and your comments are far from helpful if any friend or family is reading this.

My sincerest sympathies to family and friends of all involved.

[J70]

J70, whilst taking your point in general terms, I think your posts here are highly insensitive to the point of suggesting that you remove them.These families are suffering enough at the huge losses they have had to endure and your comments are far from helpful if any friend or family is reading this.

My sincerest sympathies to family and friends of all involved.

Ok, I removed them, although I seriously doubt that any family member or friends would give two f**ks at this moment in time about what some anonymous person on a GAA internet forum is saying about the normal causes of car accidents.

Personally, I think the more offensive thing is that people will just, as usual, take a tragedy like this in their stride and continue with their careless, oblivious driving... speeding along, talking on the phone, texting, putting on make-up, reading maps and all the rest of it. I just find it incredibly frustrating, whether its driving here in NYC or when I'm home in Donegal.

[venter]

RIP

Its a terrible tragedy. The roads in galway are in a heap at the moment. The talk here at work for the last couple of days  is what road you will take back into galway city in the evenings. There seems to be floods everywhere

On monday evening, I was driving out to oranmore and I had to pull over for a few minutes due to torrential rain. The weather is cat, people need to slow down!

[AbbeySider]

RIP

Its a terrible tragedy. The roads in galway are in a heap at the moment. The talk here at work for the last couple of days  is what road you will take back into galway city in the evenings. There seems to be floods everywhere

On monday evening, I was driving out to oranmore and I had to pull over for a few minutes due to torrential rain. The weather is cat, people need to slow down!

The N17 is closed and there are roads closed in Moycullen and other areas.

I was heading into the gym in Galway around the time of the crash and the heavens had opened. The rain was so heavy I could hardly see, and I was in a carpark. It was so heavy that it knocked out the Sky satellite TV in the gym for a while.

Its so tragic