THE CAR in which two young men died in west Dublin early yesterday was being driven in the wrong direction on the Naas Road dual-carriageway when it struck a car driven by an off-duty garda.
The garda, stationed at Tallaght Garda station, sustained serious injuries in the crash. His condition was described as "serious but stable", at Tallaght hospital last night.
The crash was referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) because a member of An Garda Síochána was involved. After examining the scene it cleared the garda of any misconduct in the incident.
The crash happened shortly after 6am on the the southbound lane of the dual carriageway between the Citywest and Rathcoole exits. The men, aged 19 and 20, and from the Clondalkin area, were travelling in a Fiat Punto hatchback when they turned the wrong way onto the N7 near Citywest.
They travelled less than half a kilometre before crashing head-on into the garda's Honda car.
The only part of the Fiat Punto that was recognisable was the back bumper. The car was left standing on its front bumper in the centre of the road. The Honda ended up on the grass verge.
Although it was just after 6am on a Sunday, the incident was seen by a number of independent witnesses and they later helped the GSOC with its investigation.
The two men were taken to Tallaght hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival. The Garda Press Office did not name the two young men yesterday as all relatives had not been informed.
The garda, aged in his late 20s or early 30s, was also taken to Tallaght hospital. His lower body bore the brunt of the impact when his car was crushed.
The GSOC has not yet issued its findings on that case. Yesterday members of the commission were called to the scene immediately after the incident and its staff spent several hours investigating the vehicles and the road.
Just after 2pm, it announced that it had handed control of the investigation back to An Garda Síochána.
The commission issued a statement saying: "The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is satisfied that no misconduct has been disclosed on the part of the garda involved. "This decision follows a technical and forensic examination of the scene, as well as independent witness accounts."
A section of the Naas road dual-carriageway was closed for the morning and diversions were put in place through Saggart and Rathcoole.
There was severe traffic congestion in the area all morning, with lengthy tailbacks before the road reopened at about 1.30pm.
