The man killed on Christmas night in Co Donegal has been named locally as Shaun Kelly.
Mr Kelly, who was in his early 30s, died after his Vauxhall Cavalier car crashed into a ditch and then rolled into a field at Glenfad, Porthall, Lifford. The crash took place on the R265 road and the man was driving from the direction of Lifford towards Rossgier.
The single-vehicle incident happened just before 12.30am on Thursday morning.
Mr Kelly, a father-of-two from Lifford, initially survived the crash and was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital in a critical condition. But the victim, who had worked on oil rigs overseas, died a short time later.
Gardaí have started an investigation into the cause of the crash. The scene of the collision was preserved for a technical examination by forensic collision investigators. Diversions were in place while the road remained closed.
A person who lived close to the crash scene said “We heard two loud bangs but we thought it was cattle banging against the sheds. Myself and my wife went to bed and it was only this morning that we realised what had happened. It’s a terrible thing to happen to some poor family.”
Mr Kelly was the sixth person to die on Donegal roads so far this year.
A local Garda spokesman appealed for people to take extra care on the roads during the holiday period.
He said: “We are appealing to people to continue to be careful over the holiday period, a time of year when accidents are often prevalent.”
