THE hazardous N52 national road between Mullingar and Delvin, which has claimed more than its share of lives in fatal accidents over the years, was the scene of another horror crash at Hiskinstown on Saturday afternoon last, 8 October, when the two female occupants of a car were killed and the driver of another car was very seriously injured.
The passenger in the Ford Galaxy car, 38-year- old Laura Finucane, who was a client at st. Mary’s South Hill, Delvin, died at the scene from her injuries, and the driver of the car, 25-year-old Amy Sheridan from Corlismore, Ballinagh, Co. Cavan, who worked at St. Mary’s, South Hill, died from her injuries at Mullingar Regional Hospital some hours later.
The horrific crash at Hiskinstown at about 3.30pm on Saturday, on a part of the Mullingar-Delvin road which has still to be upgraded, involved three vehicles, one of them a lorry, which was travelling towards Mullingar at the time.
Three cars were travelling towards Delvin at Hiskinstown when a collision occurred between the first car, an Octavia, and the lorry, which went out of control as a result. The car was seriously damaged and finished up some distance away.
The driver of the second car miraculously escaped injury, with the lorry grazing this vehicle, but it then collided head-on with the Galaxy, which was travelling back to Delvin from Mullingar. The two critically injured car occupants were trapped inside the vehicle after the collision.
The Gardai confirmed that a fourth car in the traffic at the time, a man with three children as his passengers, managed to stop his car, but the four car occupants were badly shaken and disturbed by what they witnessed.
There were three people in the other Octavia car involved in the crash, and after the emergency services arrived, the Air Ambulance services were contacted and the middle-aged driver of the first car, Christina Higgins from Crossakiel, Co. Meath, who had serious injuries, was airlifted to Tallaght Hospital by helicopter. The two passengers in this car, a man and a woman in their seventies, were removed to Mullingar Regional Hospital, and the man was later transferred to a Dublin hospital, it is understood.
The Gardaí were among the first at the scene, road diversions were put in place and the road was closed for a period, for technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision investigators.
MULLINGAR ACCIDENT
As two units of Mullingar Fire Brigade rushed to the scene of the Hiskinstown accident on Saturday, the second vehicle, which had only left the Fire Station moments before, was involved in a collision with a car in the Lynn Industrial estate, at the mini-roundabout and junction beside the Expert electrical firm. The driver of the car, a woman, had to be cut from her car by the Fire Services and was removed to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
A Fire Services unit from Castlepollard was called out to attend the Hiskinstown accident as a result of the Mullingar collision.
The Gardaí have issued appeals for witnesses to the Hiskinstown accident on Saturday to contact them, or anyone with information to speak to them. In particular, they would like to speak in confidence to anyone who may have been on the N52 between Delvin and Mullingar between 3pm and 3.30pm on Saturday. They can be contacted at Mullingar Garda station on 044 9384000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
