Gardaí have launched an investigation into the circumstances of a single-vehicle crash in which a young man was killed and another injured when the stolen motorbike on which they were travelling went out of control and crashed in Cork city.
Gardaí have not released the name of the dead man but he was named locally yesterday as Denis Kelleher (29), Ardmore Avenue, Knocknaheeny, on the city's north side.
Mr Kelleher was killed when the motorbike on which he was travelling hit a kerb near Murphy's Brewery Corner on Leitrim Street. He and the other man were thrown from the vehicle at about 10.10pm on Monday.
Mr Kelleher suffered serious head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other man, a 21-year-old also from Knocknaheeny, was brought by ambulance to Cork University Hospital. His condition was yesterday described as "stable".
The dead man's body was removed from the scene to Cork University Hospital where Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster is scheduled to carry out a postmortem examination this morning.
Supt Martin Shanahan of Mayfield Garda station said the 600cc motorbike had been reported stolen just a few minutes earlier, at about 10pm, from the St Luke's area. Gardaí were in the process of responding to the report when the crash happened.
They were searching for the motorbike when it crashed but they were not in pursuit of the vehicle. A Garda car from Mayfield came upon the crash in the course of its search, said Supt Shanahan.
The motorbike was removed to Mayfield station for an inspection by a Garda PSV (public service vehicle) inspector and Garda technical experts. The road was closed overnight for eight hours while a Garda forensic crash examiner inspected the scene.
Gardaí are still seeking to establish who was driving the motorbike and who was the pillion passenger and they hope to speak to the survivor of the crash in the coming days, said Supt Shanahan.
Gardaí believe that the motorbike was being driven down Alexandra Road on to Wellington Road, across St Patrick's Hill and down Hardwick Street where it turned to the right and travelled against the flow of traffic along the one-way section of Leitrim Street, Supt Shanahan said. He appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the motorbike between the time that it was reported stolen in St Luke's, at about 10pm, and the crash on Leitrim Street about 10 minutes later, to contact gardaí at Mayfield on 021-455 8510.