DONEGAL COUNTY Council had been preparing a new road safety plan in advance of Sunday’s multiple-fatality following a spate of other road deaths in the county.
The council said it hoped to publish the new plan “early in the summer”.Donegal has seen several crashes involving multiple fatalities in recent years. Among the incidents were:
On J anuary 30ththis year, a father and son were killed in a two-car collision on the main Letterkenny to Derry road. They were John Gallagher (55) and his son Seán (24), Ramelton, Co Donegal.
On November 23rd, 2009, two Lithuanian men aged 31 and 39 were killed in a head-on collision on the N15 north of Stranorlar near Killygordon.
On May 3rd, 2009, Gary McLaughlin (21) and Darren Downey (19), both from Burt, died in a single-vehicle crash on the main N13 Derry to Letterkenny road at Newtowncunningham.
On November 9th, 2008, father-of-six and mayor of Ballyshannon PJ Branley (58) who was driving a van, was killed, as was his 40-year-old passenger, Dessie McNulty from Ballintra, and the driver of a car, 17-year-old Michael O'Sullivan, from Ballyshannon.
On June 16th, 2008Kerry Ann Meehan (16) and her three-month old daughter Niesha were killed instantly when their car hit an oncoming four-wheel drive vehicle towing a trailer full of sheep at Tullygay, 3km from Letterkenny.
On May 24th, 2008, 45-year-old Martina McLernon and her 15-year-old daughter, Louise, from Toome, Co Antrim, were killed. They were walking at Meenacuing, Gweedore, when they were struck by a car.
Five people were killed on February 18th 2006when a car driven by Danielius Abartis (23), a Latvian man crashed outside Buncrana.The four others killed were Aija Porcika (38), her daughter Ginta Veite (19); Marita Kerpe (28) and Ricardas Bielskis (35).
Last year, Brendan Henderson (50), Seven Oaks, Waterside, Derry, was jailed for four years after admitting dangerous driving in a crash that killed five people. Henderson's car was on the wrong side of the road when it hit the car in which the five victims, all from the Inishowen peninsula, were travelling at Cross, Quigley's Point, Inishowen, on October 8th, 2005.They were Rochelle Peoples (22), David Steele (23), Gavin Duffy (21), Charlene O'Connor (21) and Darren Quinn (21).
On September 11th, 2005,three people were killed when a motorcyclist was involved in a collision with a Volkswagen Polo, which in turn collided with a lorry.
Damien Quigg (49), from Dungiven, Derry, his wife Teresa, and Nora McGee (74) from Gortahork all died in the crash at Ballynacarrick.
In May, 2008, Louise Cantwell (24), from Gortlarry, Carndonagh, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of her friends, Alice Mullan and Kelly Doherty, both 20, at Ballyargus, Redcastle, on March 19th, 2005.
In July 2004, three teenagers were killed when the Vauxhall Astra in which they were travelling plunged 10ft into a field near Ballymagan between the Illies and Buncrana. They were Shane Cuffe (18), Crana View, Buncrana, Owen Doherty (18), Cloncool Park, Buncrana, and Áine O'Leary (16), Selskar Rise, Townparks, Skerries, Co Dublin.
In June 2004, three Latvian men died in a crash at Grannie's Gap near Burnfoot. They were Danis Sters (18), Janis Rogis (21) and Maris Valbe (22).