A YOUNG garda was fighting for his life in hospital last night after the patrol car he was driving was involved in a head-on collision while pursuing a speeding car.
Another officer in the car was being treated for serious injuries, although not life-threatening, and the sole occupant of the other car in the crash was also in hospital.
The Garda Ombudsman is investigating the collision.
The more seriously injured of the officers is 24-year-old Gary McLoughlin from near Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, who has been stationed at Buncrana for four years.
His colleague, Bernard McLoughlin (23) from Gurteen, Co Sligo, has been attached to Buncrana for three years.
The two gardaí and the other injured man, also in his 20s, were taken from the scene of the crash at 1.30am yesterday at Lisfannon, near Burt, Co Donegal, to Letterkenny General Hospital.
The Garda pursuit began shortly after 1am when plainclothes officers in an unmarked patrol car spotted a Northern-registered red Opel Astra leaving a filling station outside Buncrana at high speed.
The gardaí gave chase and, when unable to keep up with the fleeing vehicle, called for assistance.
A patrol car joined the chase and pursued the Opel in the direction of the Border.
According to reliable sources the Opel suddenly turned and headed back in the direction of Letterkenny. The head-on collision occurred when the marked Garda car pulled over on to its side of the road.
It is believed the officers in the unmarked car had recognised the Opel driver as a person who was wanted for questioning by gardaí.
Gardaí in the marked patrol car intended to apprehend the wanted driver with a “stinger” – a device spread across a road which punctures a vehicle’s tyres.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, who referred the matter to the Garda Ombudsman Commission, paid tribute to the two injured officers last night. “These two gardaí were injured while out in service of the community. I hope that both of them make a full recovery,” he said.
The Garda Ombudsman last night appealed for help from motorists travelling on the Letterkenny-Derry road between 1am and 2am.
A spokesman, who confirmed the investigation, said anybody who was overtaken by a red Opel Astra AHZ 5912 or a navy blue Ford Mondeo 07D 8652 should contact the Garda Ombudsman commission at 1890-600800.
Elsewhere over the weekend, two men and a woman were killed in crashes in Monaghan, Galway and Dublin.
A 26-year-old woman died following a collision between two cars near Oranmore, Co Galway on Saturday morning.
Hours later a man in his 20s died after a collision between a car and a van in Dublin. The incident happened at Castlecurragh Road, Blanchardstown, at 9.20am.
Also on Saturday, an 80-year-old male pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a car near Emyvale, Co Monaghan, shortly before 5.30pm. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The female driver of the car was not injured.