Funeral arrangements are being finalised for the four teenagers killed in a car crash outside Killarney, Co Kerry, yesterday as gardaí tried to establish the exact movements of the vehicle in the hours before the fatal crash.
Brothers David (17) and Kevin Breen (15) from Hazelwood Drive, Ballyspillane, Killarney, and Áine Riordan (15) from St John’s Park, Castleisland, all died at the scene, while Brian Coffey (19) from Crohane, Fossa, died later in hospital.
A fifth passenger, Darragh Jones (16), from Farranfore, remains in a stable condition at Kerry General Hospital following the crash at Carrigeen, six kilometres from Killarney on the Killarney-Mallow road.
Superintendent Michael Maher of Killarney Garda Station said a number of witnesses had come forward but appealed for anyone else with information to contact Killarney Garda station. He said gardaí were waiting approval of the hospital authorities before interviewing Mr Jones about the crash.
Gardaí spoke yesterday to another teenager to whom the car – a 10-year-old silver Hyundai Accent – had been lent, but who did not travel in it with the five others.
A garage in Barraduff had given him the car while his own vehicle was undergoing repairs. Gardaí have established that two of the occupants of the car at the time of the crash met this teenager while attending a house party at Kilcummin at about 3am. The crash happened at 7.10am.
Gardaí believe David Breen was driving the car. A forensic examination may shed light on whether speed was a factor in the crash.
Gardaí are awaiting the results of postmortem results, including toxicology reports. They believe the driver lost control of the car as it was taking a fairly gentle left-hand bend. Driving conditions at the time were described as good. “The immediate focus of the families, relatives and communities moves to the funerals of the victims and our sympathies goes out to each and every one mourning,” Supt Maher said.
Funeral arrangements for three victims of the crash were announced today.
The first of the funerals will be that of Áine Riordan. Her remains will repose at her home from 4pm to 9pm this evening. The removal will take place tomorrow morning to Castleisland Parish Church for requiem mass at 11am, followed by burial.
The removal of brothers Kevin and David Breen will take place from O’Shea’s Funeral Home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, at 6.30pm tomorrow. Requiem mass will take place at 10.30am on Saturday, with burial afterwards at Holy Cross Cemetery in Kilcummin.
Funeral arrangements for Mr Coffey have not yet been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Road Safety Authority chief executive Noel Brett said there was “no magic bullet” to prevent such tragedies, but new graduated licensing measures to be announced next week will ensure that young people who take to the roads will be properly trained before doing so.
“The attitude in relation to drink-driving has changed markedly in the last few years. The attitude to learning to drive has also changed markedly,” he said. “We have 40 years of long-term reliance on the provisional system as a licence to drive rather than a licence to learn.”