Four people have died over the weekend following road traffic accidents, including an 80-year-old man who was knocked down a month ago. Marie O'Halloran reports.
An 81-year-old nun, a 22-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man also died in accidents over the past three days.
The elderly male pedestrian, whose name is not being released until all relatives have been informed, died on Saturday at Letterkenny General Hospital in Co Donegal, following the accident on September 26th when he was knocked down.
He was crossing the road at Fintown, shortly before 10 p.m. when he was struck by a car. He is understood to be from the locality.
Mr Liam Kelly (49) from Lissycasey, Co Clare, died just over six hours after his van was in collision with an articulated truck on the main Galway road at Ballymaley, on the outskirts of Ennis, Co Clare, on Saturday evening.
The collision occurred shortly before 6 p.m. and special cutting equipment was used to free the injured man from the vehicle. Mr Kelly was taken to Ennis General Hospital and subsequently transferred to Limerick Regional Hospital, where he died shortly after midnight.
Both vehicles were taken to Ennis Garda station where they were due to be technically examined this morning.
The accident occurred on a newly resurfaced stretch of the N18 at Ballymaley around two miles from Ennis town. Conditions were dry in the area. However, there were no road markings on the busy stretch of road at the time of the accident. There were, however, bollards and roadwork signs visible on the side of the roadway.
A 22-year-old woman died on Friday when a car and truck collided shortly before 8.30 p.m. on Friday at Monganstown, Kinnegad, Co Westmeath.
The victim, Ms Carmel Staunton, from Ballyhue, Eyercourt, Co Galway, was a front-seat passenger in the car when the crash occurred on the N6.
The 81-year-old pedestrian who died on Friday morning after she was knocked down in Sligo was named last night as Sister Delarosa Tuffy, from Cranmore Road, in Sligo.
The accident occurred when the victim was struck by a van as she attempted to cross Cranmore Road, shortly before 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, a new road safety campaign has been launched by the Irish Road Haulage Association to highlight dangers associated with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). It includes fixing reflective stickers on the rear of HGVs and encouraging other drivers to use daylight running lights to make their vehicles more visible.