Tributes have been paid to a married couple in their 80s who died in a multivehicle crash as they were making their way to Haulbowline in Cork Harbour for a walk in a popular park which opened to the community last year.
Pat and Bernadette (Berna) Allen were pronounced dead at the scene in Ringaskiddy in Co Cork on Tuesday morning. The pair lived in the Glenwood estate in Carrigaline less than a kilometre from the crash site on the N28 Cork Ringaskiddy Road between Shannon Park and Shanbally village.
The area where the pensioners died was also close to Raffeen Creek Golf Club in Ringaskiddy, where the couple were members for many years.
‘Popular couple’
Independent Cllr in Carrigaline Ben Dalton O’Sullivan said there was a veil of sadness in the area following the loss of the popular couple. “If you get a call to say a parent has died it is the worst call. But to get an unexpected call to say the two of them have died. That must be horrific,” he added.
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“Glenwood is a lovely settled estate. Everyone knows everyone. It is the fact that the two of them got into their car for a lovely day out and they never came back. That is very sad. I remember canvassing the Glenwood estate and the particular area where they lived had lovely, lovely people. They were all older people. And it took about a half an hour to canvass about four houses. People were out in the gardens talking. I will always remember the people in that estate.”
Fianna Fáil Cllr Seamus McGrath, who lives in Carrigaline, described the deaths as terribly sad news. ”The town is shocked to learn about the deaths. I would like to send my deepest sympathy to the family of the couple and to their friends. I would also like to thank the emergency services who were on the scene quickly. They did everything they could to help the injured and the couple who died.”
The crash occurred shortly before 11am on Tuesday when the car driven by Mr Allen collided with a car transporter which flipped on to its side. Other vehicles were also affected by the crash.
An emergency response operation was launched while traffic to and from the port of Cork was diverted.
Gardaí, units of the fire brigade from Carrigaline and Crosshaven and several ambulances attended the scene.
The driver of the transporter was visibly shaken but did not require hospitalisation. A third person, the occupant of a third vehicle, was taken to Cork University Hospital with serious but non life-threatening injuries.
Garda forensic collision investigators have examined the scene and an investigation into the crash is in progress. Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to come forward. They are also appealing to road users who were travelling on the N28 in the Shannon Park area between 10:45 and 11am on Tuesday with camera footage (including dash cam) to make it available to them.
Anyone with information can contact Togher Garda Station on 021-4947120, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111 or any Garda station.