TWO MEN and a toddler have died and four people are receiving treatment in hospital following motoring incidents in counties Louth, Clare, Mayo and Dublin.
A 29-year-old man was killed in the early hours of yesterday morning when the car he was driving hit a ditch near Dunleer in Co Louth.
A passenger was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda with minor injuries following the incident, which occurred about 1am.
The road between Cloghan Bridge and Drumcar was closed for a time yesterday to facilitate a forensic examination. Gardaí in Drogheda are seeking witnesses to the incident to contact them on (041) 9874200 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.
In Co Clare, an 81-year-old man was killed when he became trapped under the back wheel of a tractor at his farm in Tubber.
Mickey Conroy, a married father of four, received fatal injuries during the incident, which occurred about 8pm on Sunday night while he was showing the vehicle to a friend.
It is understood that Mr Conroy did not mount the vehicle but turned the key while still standing on the ground and that the tractor jolted forward and trapped him as it was in gear at the time.
Mr Conroy was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for a postmortem examination.
Garda technical experts attended the scene and the Health and Safety Authority has launched an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, a boy (2½) has died after being struck by the family’s car outside his home on Achill Island in Co Mayo.
Raymond Guthrie from Cloghmore, Achill, died on Sunday afternoon after being struck by the car. It is understood the incident occurred on the family’s driveway at about 3pm.
The toddler was taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar yesterday for a postmortem examination. Achill Garda Supt Michael Murray described the incident as a terrible tragedy. “Our hearts go out to the family involved.”
Elsewhere, three men were cut free from a car which crashed into a house in Harbour Rush, Co Dublin at 3am yesterday morning.
Two of the men, who are in their mid-20s, are in a critical but stable condition in Dublin’s Beaumont hospital. A third man, in his 30s, is in a stable condition. All three are from Latvia.
