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Wrong-way crash in Kildare
Five teenage boys died and four other people were seriously injured after a two-vehicle head-on collision on the M9 in County Kildare, Ireland, at about 03:00 local time on Sunday.
“Five teenage boys have died and four people have been taken to hospital”
Gardaí said the collision occurred on the M9 Northbound at Junction 3 and that the vehicle carrying the five teenage boys was travelling on the wrong side of the carriageway when it struck a second car.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described those injured as "family members" who were "travelling innocently" when they were struck by a car driving on the wrong side of the motorway.
The bodies of the five teenage boys were removed from the scene and taken to Naas General Hospital where post mortems will take place, while the driver and front passenger of the second car were taken to Tallaght University Hospital and remained in critical condition.
Social media and investigations
Kelly called the incident "horrific" and "irresponsible and dangerous driving" and said "in some cases" vehicles were being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes.
LBC reported that emergency services were alerted to a vehicle travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway between junction 3 and 4 when it collided head-on with another car.
Fiosrú said the referral was made following a fatal road traffic incident on the M9 and that one of its on-call team of investigators attended the scene and an independent investigation is ongoing.
The BBC said Fiosrú’s investigation relates to incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured, and that a referral does not necessarily mean a garda or gardaí have been accused of wrongdoing.
Hospitals, closure, and appeals
The BBC said the section of the M9 from Junction 3 to Junction 4 northbound and southbound remained closed with local diversions in place after the crash.
“The section of the M9 from Junction 3 to Junction 4 northbound and southbound remains closed”
A female rear seat passenger aged in her 20s was taken to St. Luke's General Hospital and was in a serious condition, while a third passenger who was a child was taken to Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin and was in a serious condition.
Gardaí appealed for any persons who may have witnessed the collision to come forward and also asked road users travelling on the M9 northbound or southbound between 02:00 and 03:00 on Sunday to make dashcam footage available to investigating Gardaí.
The Irish Times reported that Gardaí believed four people had died until the remains of a fifth victim were found when the wreckage of their car was moved, and it said the deceased were wearing balaclavas or were otherwise masked when they died on the M9 at about 3am.
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