Galway vet among four people killed over the weekend

A well known west of Ireland veterinary surgeon, Mr Dara Halleran (31), of Tuam, was killed in a traffic accident at the weekend…

A well known west of Ireland veterinary surgeon, Mr Dara Halleran (31), of Tuam, was killed in a traffic accident at the weekend.

Mr Halleran's car was in collision with a vehicle transporter at Knockdoebeg, Loughgeorge, Co Galway, shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Mr Halleran is survived by his wife and three children.

Gardaí at Lusk in Co Dublin are investigating a fatal road accident which occurred at about 2 a.m. on Sunday in which an 18-year-old man died when the car in which he was travelling struck a ditch.

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The accident happened at Bridetree, near Lusk. The young man was taken to Beaumont hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No other vehicle was involved.

In Mullingar, Co Westmeath, a 20-year-old man died on Friday from injuries received in a single-vehicle accident earlier in the week.

Mr Richard Newman, from Coralstown, Co Westmeath, was involved in an accident at Gorteen, Mullingar, last Wednesday night.

He was taken to Mullingar General Hospital, where he died at 9.30 a.m. on Friday morning.

The body of a man has been recovered from the sea at Nimmos Pier, Claddagh, Galway. He was named as Mr Eamon Kinahan of Clara Co Offally.

The body was discovered by passers-by at 7 a.m on Saturday morning. The deceased was taken to the University College Hospital morgue.

The road deaths bring to 233 the number of people killed on the Republic's roads so far this year. The figure compares to 213 for the year to August last year.

The National Safety Council has expressed concern over the number of single-vehicle accidents in which mainly young people are killed.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has asked the National Medical Bureau of Road Safety to analyse the factors which may be contributing to the numbers killed.

The bureau is to analyse the accidents by time and location of accident, weather and road conditions as well as any drug or alcohol levels present in the blood samples of victims.

The study is expected to be available later this year.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist