One dead, 4 injured on 'worst road for fatalities'

The N25 road between New Ross and Wexford was closed for several hours yesterday afternoon after a crash in which one man died and four other people, two of them children, were seriously injured.

The road has been named by the National Roads Authority as the State's worst for fatal accidents.

Mr Fergal Egan (41), of Boley, Ballycullane, New Ross, was killed instantly when his Mitsubishi Colt collided with a Seat people carrier driven by Ms Stella Meaney at Carrigbyrne, about eight miles from New Ross. Mr Egan was towing a trailer and is understood to have been returning with his wife, Beverly, from a break in France, via Rosslare. Mrs Egan was travelling in the back seat of the car, which was destroyed.

Two ambulances and two fire brigades were on the scene within minutes. The main road was sealed off and traffic diversions put in place.

The Seat carrying Ms Meaney and her daughters Aoife (10) and Sinead (6) was on its side after the crash.

All the injured were taken by ambulance to Wexford hospital. Ms Meaney was later transferred to Waterford Regional Hospital and the younger of the girls, who had head injuries, was brought to Beaumont Hospital last night. The others were reported to be in a serious but stable condition in Wexford's intensive care unit.

The N25 was named by the NRA as the State's worst road for fatal accidents in its five-year study High Accident Locations 1996 -2000. It is also the road on which the election motorcade of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, touched speeds of up to 95 m.p.h. in May 2002.

The cause of yesterday's crash is still being investigated by gardaí. Roads were wet at the time following a downpour.

The N25 is an improved single carriageway and is wide and relatively flat with long curves. The NRA has described this type of road as among the most dangerous and its study also noted that it came second in the category of total casualties (deaths and injuries), which amounted to 679 over the five-year period.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, recently announced that these type of roads are to be replaced with "two plus one" carriageways, essentially a single carriageway with overtaking lanes every two kilometres.

Mr Egan, a teacher of specialist subjects, worked at New Ross Vocational College and other colleges in the locality.

In Co Leitrim a man said to be in his 40s was killed when his car hit the wall of a house at Fenagh, near Ballinamore, at about 3.30 p.m. yesterday.

Dublin commuters experienced traffic disruption yesterday afternoon after a three-car pile-up on the M50. No one was seriously injured, although three children were taken to hospital, said gardaí. The accident happened 1 km short of the N3 interchange near Blanchardstown at 4.35 p.m.