Two sisters, their friend and her two-year-old daughter died instantly yesterday when their car was in a head-on collision near Charleville, Co Cork. The accident occurred at 5.20 p.m. A fifth person died in another accident in Co Roscommon last night.
The two sisters and their passengers were travelling in a Fiesta car on the N20 road between Cork and Charleville when they collided with a car described as a saloon vehicle. The woman driver of that car was taken to Mallow General Hospital but later moved to Cork University Hospital, where her condition was said to be comfortable.
It is believed the women who died in the Fiesta were members of a music group on their way to a practice session. The names of the deceased and the injured woman were not released pending notification of relatives.
Some witnesses said the crash was one of the most appalling ever seen on what is normally regarded as a wide and safe stretch of road. The ferocity of the impact was such that the Fiesta was pushed over a retaining barrier. It took the fire brigade almost three hours to extricate the bodies.
Gardai from Charleville, Mallow and Buttevant went to the scene once the alarm was raised. They were joined by fire brigade units from Charleville and Mallow. One side of the Cork-Limerick road was closed for at least an hour. It is understood that after the impact, the Fiesta with the three women and the child on board fell seven feet over the retaining barrier.
Local gardai said last night they were at a loss to understand how such an accident could have occurred given that the road was practically straight. They have appealed to anyone who may have passed by the scene late yesterday afternoon to contact them at (063) 81222.
It is understood that all the victims are from the north Cork area and that the three women and toddler who died are from the community of Churchtown. It could not be established where in north Cork the driver of the other car lived.
There has been a succession of fatal accidents over the years on the Cork-Limerick road, particularly on the Cork-Mallow section. Only eight months ago a man was killed in another incident involving two cars, near where yesterday's accident occurred.
A man in his 30s was killed last night in Clunefinglas, Fairymount, Co Roscommon, when a car in which he was a passenger struck a low stone bridge, overturned and crashed into a field. The driver was taken to Roscommon Hospital with serious at Castlerea would only describe his injuries.
Up to yesterday morning, the total number of deaths on the State's roads this year was 348.