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The 14 -year-old boy who died in a car crash in Killarney, Co Kerry overnight has been named locally.
Thomas Healy was driving the car when it is understood to have gone out of control and struck a tree on the Ross Road at around 1am on Wednesday.
A second boy injured in the crash was taken to University Hospital Kerry after being cut from the wreckage by members of the emergency services and was said to be in a serious condition.
Thomas is the youngest of Gerard and Julia Healy’s four children. The family are from the Gap of Dunloe area near Killarney and Mr Healy is a musician known as ‘The Singing Jarvey’. Thomas’s grandfather and the late Jackie Healy-Rae TD would have been step-brothers.
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Neil Doherty, chairman of Beaufort GAA Club in Killarney, of which Thomas Healy was a member, said the news was a “major shock” for the commuity. He said he hoped the second boy would “make a full recovery”.
“You have to feel for his teammates. People who played football and were training with him last week woke up and learned he’s dead and the other boy is injured, that’s a shock for them as well,” he told RTÉ’s News at One.
Mr Doherty said the incident “puts life into perspective”.
“People complain about small things, we all have the habit of that, and this brings home to you what tragedy is, what life is about, and how quickly life can end,” he said.
Garda interaction
The vehicle involved in the Ross Road crash had earlier interacted with gardaí and the matter has been referred to Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), which is obliged to investigate all fatal incidents where the deceased had contact with gardaí beforehand.
The car was spotted late on Tuesday night or very early Wednesday at a car park in Killarney. Gardaí were in the area looking for the car and its occupants when it was driven away.
The Gsoc inquiry will seek to establish if the gardaí spotted the car and whether or not they were pursuing it at the time of the crash.
It is understood that the car the teenagers were in was more than 20-years-old and investigations are underway to establish if it was a so-called “company car” - an end of life or scrap vehicle purchased unofficially for cash.
Independent councillor Johnny Healy-Rae expressed his condolences following the tragedy.
“We are awfully shocked and sorry for the family,” he said.
Thomas Healy’s funeral is due to take place at 11am on Saturday at St Mary’s Church, Beaufort. The Mass will be live streamed on the Beaufort Parish Facebook page, according to a notice on rip.ie.
Second fatal crash
Earlier on Tuesday, a man (30) believed to be from Killorglin died in a separate crash at Listry Bridge, some 10km north of Killarney. The motorcyclist was injured following a collision with a car and was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Kerry, where he later died.
A minute’s silence was held at the start of the Killarney Municipal District Council meeting on Wednesday and the mayor of Killarney, Cllr Marie Moloney, expressed her sympathy over the two fatalities.
“On my own behalf and on behalf of the elected councillors in the municipal district, I express our solidarity with all those affected by both of these dreadful tragedies,” Cllr Moloney said.
Both the Listry and Ross roads were closed for technical examinations on Wednesday.
Gardaí appealed to anyone with information about either crash to contact them at Killarney station on (064) 6671160 or call the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.