Crashes leave 11 dead on roads since yesterday

A man in a wheelchair died after being hit by a truck in north Dublin this afternoon bringing the total number of deaths on the State's roads since yesterday morning to eleven.

The 24-year-old man was fatally injured when his wheelchair collided with a truck at Cardiffsbridge Road in Finglas at around 1.40pm.

He was brought to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he later died from his injuries.

Two men and one woman were also fatally injured this afternoon in Co Laois when the car they were travelling in was in collision with a lorry.

Another man, a fellow passenger in the car is said to be in a serious condition in hospital.

The incident happened at Clonad on the Portlaoise to Abbeyleix Road shortly before 3pm this afternoon.

Gardaí have advised that the N8 at Clonad is closed to traffic and diversions are in place.

Earlier today, a man in his 20s died in a crash in Co Cork, when his car collided with another car on the N22 near Lissarda, just outside Macroom.

Two other people were injured in the crash at about 8.15am. Gardaí later named the victim as 23-year-old Colin Heddarman from Beech Park, Ballincollig, Co Cork.

At 5.15am a man died when the car he was a passenger in hit a bridge at Bealaha, Doonbeg, Co Clare.

The driver of the car was taken to hospital, but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The dead man was named as 54-year-old Seamus Whelan of Mountrivers, Doonbeg.

Five people died in crashes yesterday - three adults and two children. A number of people were also left seriously hurt.

In Co Galway, gardaí have named the three people killed in the two-car collision on the Athenry-Craughwell road shortly after 7.30pm yesterday. They were Johnny Moloney (33) of St Josephs Place, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, 24-year-old Yvonne Mahony of Laurences Fields, Loughrea, Co Galway and their three-year-old daughter Bobbi Mahony, also of Laurences Fields, Loughrea.

In Co Longford, a nine-year-old girl died yesterday evening when the vehicle in which she was a passenger overturned. The crash happened at 5pm at Cloonturk, on the Longford to Kilashee Road. The girl was named this afternoon as Michelle Glancy of Clonterm, Longford.

The driver and another passenger were taken to hospital but are not believed to be seriously injured.

Elsewhere, a pedestrian (22) was killed when he was hit by a car in Co Longford just after 2am on Sunday morning at Carrickboy. The victim, named as Patrick Higgins of Drumming, Ardagh, Co. Longford, died at the scene.

So far this year 215 people have died on the State's roads.