A man in his 30s who died in a crash as he was driving to the beach with his family over the Bank Holiday weekend will be laid to rest on Thursday.
Patrick McMahon (39) of Churchtown and formerly of Douglas in Cork lost his life after the van he was driving collided with a tractor on the R522 at Ballincurrig on the Buttevant to Liscarroll Road on Monday.
His 14-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old family friend were also injured in the incident which occurred at 1pm on Monday. The teenagers had to be airlifted to Cork University Hospital (CUH) by the Rescue Helicopter 112. They are in a serious condition in hospital.
Mr McMahon’s partner, Gillian McAllen, was travelling in a vehicle behind when the crash occurred. The couple were on a family day out.
Mr McMahon’s removal will take place at 8pm on Wednesday from Sullivan’s Funeral Home Turners Cross, Cork to the nearby Christ King Church.
His requiem mass will take place on Thursday at 11.30am with burial following to St Gobnait’s Cemetery in Mallow. He is survived his partner and his parents Tom and Irene. He was also father to Jasmine, Nessa, Frank, Sinead, Holly, Joy and Saoirse.
Local Fine Gael councillor John Paul O’Shea said a very harrowing set of circumstances was involved.
“I believe the family were heading for a day at the beach. The McMahons are a large well-known family from the Churchtown area. Churchtown is a very strong tight-knit community and I am sure the community will rally around the family,” he said.
Emergency services including gardaí, ambulances, paramedics and the Rescue Helicopter 112 attended at the scene. They freed the teenagers from the badly damaged van after a lengthy and difficult process.
The Rescue Helicopter had to land at a GAA pitch near CUH as the hospital does not have a helipad. The teenagers were then transported by ambulance to the hospital.
The driver of the tractor, a male in his twenties, was not injured in the incident. However, he was said to have been deeply shocked by the accident.
Diversions were put in place to allow for a forensic examination of the scene. The road remained closed for a number of hours. Witnesses to the crash are asked to contact gardai at Mallow on 022 31450 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111. The cause of the crash is unknown at this juncture.