Worst road accident in the history of the state claims 8 in Donegal

corky2004

Condolences to the families concerned

There is a major culture change required by Donegal motorists.
How can you explain having 8 adults in a car? Colliding with one car and driving on to collide with another? Everything about this stinks. You'd have to be naive to think it was just an 'accident'. No such thing as an 'accident'. Theres always a reason. Drink. Drugs. G0bsh1te behaviour.

It's not good enough to just put this down as 'one of those things'...

The fact that Jim McDaid was re-elected in the region, AFTER having being convicted of drunk driving the wrong way up a dual carriageway speaks volumes about Donegal peoples attitudes to driving practices......

Reg'stoy

My sat nav directed me onto a similar small winding country road on a recent trip to the north west. The road surface I ended up on was probably of lesser quality than the road in this particular accident appeared to be (on tv it looked quite good). Anyway my road had an eighty KPH limit which was impossible to do given I hadn't a clue what was up ahead, I ended up doing between 50 and 60.

Local with local knowledge ended up behind me and when I say behind me, I could tell what side he parted his hair. I guessed he was local due to his licence plate and he (yes a he, late 30 early 40ish) should have guessed I wasn't due to mine. But the ignorant p**** tried to bully me into going the speed he wanted, anyway I could go on but I just wanted to say

No matter how well you know the roads, you cannot see around corners, anything can be waiting around them; SO SLOW DOWN. I don't care how good a driver you think you are, it's the driver coming towards you that you have to be worried about.

I ride a bike, and one thing about that is you learn to drive defencively. You ride as if every other driver is out to kill you, and thankfully I carry that over to my car driving as well.

trishasaffron

To ignore the regular reports of horrific accidents like this in specific geographical locations is just ostrich like behaviour.

Personally I have never encountered so many fast, aggressive, careless young drivers on the road as I have on donegal roads. I'm sure there are very careful drivers there too - but they aren't the problem.

SV

Christ Almighty, this thread is full of an awful lot of shite.


Feel sorry for all concerned, tragic thing to happen.

FlutterinBantam

What kind of Shite do you refer to SV.


Please enlighten us?

SV

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

What kind of Shite do you refer to SV.


Please enlighten us?

Most of the posts on here.
I´m sure you can figure it out for yourself.

Run_to_da_hills

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

What kind of Shite do you refer to SV.


Please enlighten us?

He is referring to All the insensitive and troll baiting drivel that is being posted. :rolleyes:

FlutterinBantam

SV wrote: »

Most of the posts on here.
I´m sure you can figure it out for yourself.

A lot of the posts on here make perfect sense to me.

Enlighten us Sir.


Surely you don't think that everything is fine and dandy up there?

SV

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Surely you don't think that everything is fine and dandy up there?

Oh there´s a lot wrong and a lot that needs to be addressed.

Just like every other county.

seniorolaighin

A terrible tragedy - i feel most sorry for the man in the corolla but obviously all the families are going through something unimaginable.

The whole mindset of speeding/dangerous driving is very different in donegal and northern ireland - obviously it happens everywhere but as a professional who works every day with the remanants of car crash survivors i do see alot from donegal - this fact cant be denied.

I think some drastic change in the mindset is the first port of call - and i would agree release as many photos as possible and let us know what happened rather than hearing "johnny was a great lad with a great future...". The circumstances behind the crash need to be publicised.

No doubt the 1 survivor - if indeed he survives the next few days may cross my path over the next few weeks - that sometimes is even the harder part - as the person who wakes up will more than likely never be the same person again - either way all families will have a life time of grief.

FlutterinBantam

SV wrote: »

Oh there´s a lot wrong and a lot that needs to be addressed.

Just like every other county.

And what is the ****e you refer to?

Statistics prove that Donegal has the worst record for multiple fatilities.?

Could I respectfully suggest that you apply your effort to redressing that appalling record rather than going into denial about what is painfully obvious.

shampoosuicide

i'm trying to bite my tongue but it's infuriating that people can't debate the wider circumstances of tragedies like this without being shot down or reported. there's a condolences thread on the Donegal board, piss off there if debate isn't your thing. if anybody's in the throes of grief i doubt they're going to be browsing internet forums looking for something to get offended by. the details of the accident may be uncertain at this stage but it's clear there was recklessness involved. but never mind that, let's just express platitudes and wait for the next tragedy to happen.

Joey the lips

I imagine from listening to this on the news that the passet driver will be charged if he survives this. What type of charges can be brought against him and whats his likely sentence.

Mr Benevolent

An horrific accident. The driver was probably the only person wearing a seatbelt and probably panicked after hitting a car a few hundred meters back. A cascade of events really.

Drummerboy08

Joey the lips wrote: »

I imagine from listening to this on the news that the passet driver will be charged if he survives this. What type of charges can be brought against him and whats his likely sentence.

Life hopefully.

And no, he doesnt already have "life". He only has to live with the consequences of his actions.

Joey the lips

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Life hopefully.

And no, he doesnt already have "life". He only has to live with the consequences of his actions.

How so... just out of curiosity... what is the law aspect... Just wanting to understand...leaving personel opinion aside.

vectra

The only accident here was the poor old man being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As for the guys in the Passat...!!

Wel,
Something like this was destined to happen from the off.

Firstly they had total disregard for
1) themselves
2) the law
3) other road users

Secondly it was a great craic that went horribly wrong.

Finally,
Supposing they never hit that corolla.?
They would have had a mighty laugh in the pub the next time on the poor person who's Renault they wrecked and didn't give a hoot about.

Next weekend they probably would do the same thing again but possibly have a bigger accident and meet a car with 4 or 5 INNOCENT people on board that they would kill.
At least now the people of Donegal can rest in the knowledge that this has a very good chance of never again happening.

I only hope the driver of the Passat survives and lives with this for the rest of his life .. BEHIND BARS...!! :mad:

jaffa20

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

And what is the ****e you refer to?

Statistics prove that Donegal has the worst record for multiple fatilities.?

Could I respectfully suggest that you apply your effort to redressing that appalling record rather than going into denial about what is painfully obvious.

This thread is about this specific accident, a trajedy and not the statistics (which i must have overlooked in your posts) showing donegal has the most road fatalities.

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

A lot of the posts on here make perfect sense to me.

Enlighten us Sir.


Surely you don't think that everything is fine and dandy up there?

Of course nothing is fine and dandy but it might be better to not to make assumptions when the facts of the incident has not be assessed fully yet.

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

What kind of Shite do you refer to SV.


Please enlighten us?

The ****e he's referring to are the assumptions being made and discussion of statistics are not going to do much good right now when 8 people are lying dead.

RIP.

Eric Cartman

its a terrible tragedy but its location comes as no surprise, even a trip to the shops is a rally championship up there . As to how that many lads fit in a passat and how the passat got up to speed is beyond me, must have been a 1.8T as the diesel wouldnt have done it , still shameful display of young drivers behaving irresponsibly, well all pay the insurance cost for this now

and gaybo & the green party will have some new way of making driving for the young male extra not fun after this...

Ciar0468

mickydoomsux wrote: »

I kind of agree with you. The fact that these 7 idiots killed someone who was unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time is infuriating.

WTF!!!!

Who said that the silver renault was not to blame, or the corolla driver was not drunk or on the wrong side of the road. STOP MAKING JUDGEMENT WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHO CAUSED THE CRASH!!!!.

On a point not related to this particular crash:

1. Why do people drive home after drinking????
   1. No taxies (or way too expensive),
   2. no busses
   3. no public transport.
2. Who are the people who go out clubbing ect? young people.
3. Have you noticed how its rural isolated parts of the country which have the highest road fatalities??
4. True that people drive too fast in unsafe stretches of road, but people of all ages do it, Driving too slow is also just as dangerous btw. I have come around bends at normal (usually way under speed limit as i dont like bends) speeds to find I am on top of a car doing 20mph and have to slam on the breaks. There should be min as well as max speed limits.
5. Its not all down to young people. I am a young driver, but a female one. I have friends who are the boy racer type my friends would not dream of drinking and driving, I have never done it and never will, not even one drink. Its the older people I know who do this. (infact every person I know over 30 or so does this. some have even lost their licenses, got them back after two years and done it again.)
6. I have had close encounters on roads, not caused by speed or drink or carelessness, but by the older driver, who has no respect for new road laws:
   1. indicating( not doing so, too early or late or the wrong way)
   2. seatbelts (not wearing them)
   3. lights in dusk/dawn not on
   4. not dimming headlights
   5. how to drive a roundabout (especially a mulitlane one).
   6. PARKING( I had an old man drive into me in the car park, I was parked and out of my car buying a parking ticket, he still was saying that I drove into him when the garda arrived, only I had witnesses I would of been blamed. we cant pass judgement when we dont know what happened)
7. And as for cheap cars accross the border. What a load of rubbish. I recently bought my Mazda 3 in dublin as it was a lot cheaper(€2000 cheaper for same year, model ect) than accross the border, import duty also is crazy.
8. As for Garda in donegal!! I moved to letterkenny from westmeath two months ago and have never seen such a high police presence in my life. my friends who have come to visit have also commented on this.
9. I agree 8 in a car is madness, but it should be an advertisement for seatbelts save lives, thats it.
10. Road safety is not a matter for sensitivity, Grow up people, if we dont face the problem head on we will never fix it. we need to face the problems and not beat around the bush with sensitivity. I have friends who have died in road accidents and I know that they and their families would be happier that people learn from their deaths and that road deaths are decreased, instead of everyone tip-toeing around, afraid to face why road accidents and deaths actually happen.

kasper

just looking at breaking news .ie alcahol was not a factor in the crash

Eric Cartman

Ciar0468 wrote: »

WTF!!!!

Who said that the silver renault was not to blame, or the corolla driver was not drunk or on the wrong side of the road. STOP MAKING JUDGEMENT WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHO CAUSED THE CRASH!!!!.

On a point not related to this particular crash:

1. Why do people drive home after drinking????
   1. No taxies (or way too expensive),
   2. no busses
   3. no public transport.
2. Who are the people who go out clubbing ect? young people.
3. Have you noticed how its rural isolated parts of the country which have the highest road fatalities??
4. True that people drive too fast in unsafe stretches of road, but people of all ages do it, Driving too slow is also just as dangerous btw. I have come around bends at normal (usually way under speed limit as i dont like bends) speeds to find I am on top of a car doing 20mph and have to slam on the breaks. There should be min as well as max speed limits.
5. Its not all down to young people. I am a young driver, but a female one. I have friends who are the boy racer type my friends would not dream of drinking and driving, I have never done it and never will, not even one drink. Its the older people I know who do this. (infact every person I know over 30 or so does this. some have even lost their licenses, got them back after two years and done it again.)
6. I have had close encounters on roads, not caused by speed or drink or carelessness, but by the older driver, who has no respect for new road laws:
   1. indicating( not doing so, too early or late or the wrong way)
   2. seatbelts (not wearing them)
   3. lights in dusk/dawn not on
   4. not dimming headlights
   5. how to drive a roundabout (especially a mulitlane one).
   6. PARKING( I had an old man drive into me in the car park, I was parked and out of my car buying a parking ticket, he still was saying that I drove into him when the garda arrived, only I had witnesses I would of been blamed. we cant pass judgement when we dont know what happened)
7. And as for cheap cars accross the border. What a load of rubbish. I recently bought my Mazda 3 in dublin as it was a lot cheaper(€2000 cheaper for same year, model ect) than accross the border, import duty also is crazy.
8. As for Garda in donegal!! I moved to letterkenny from westmeath two months ago and have never seen such a high police presence in my life. my friends who have come to visit have also commented on this.
9. I agree 8 in a car is madness, but it should be an advertisement for seatbelts save lives, thats it.
10. Road safety is not a matter for sensitivity, Grow up people, if we dont face the problem head on we will never fix it. we need to face the problems and not beat around the bush with sensitivity. I have friends who have died in road accidents and I know that they and their families would be happier that people learn from their deaths and that road deaths are decreased, instead of everyone tip-toeing around, afraid to face why road accidents and deaths actually happen.

considering where this is , i would be willing to bet that if the passat is anything more than a 1.9 diesel it is on UK plates , VRT dodging is rife in border counties , a lot of those people buy cheap uk cars and dont pay VRT or irish road tax and so can 'afford' to drive bigger cars

robbie_998

Ciar0468 wrote: »

WTF!!!!

Who said that the silver renault was not to blame, or the corolla driver was not drunk or on the wrong side of the road. STOP MAKING JUDGEMENT WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHO CAUSED THE CRASH!!!!.

On a point not related to this particular crash:

1. Why do people drive home after drinking????
   1. No taxies (or way too expensive),
   2. no busses
   3. no public transport.
2. Who are the people who go out clubbing ect? young people.
3. Have you noticed how its rural isolated parts of the country which have the highest road fatalities??
4. True that people drive too fast in unsafe stretches of road, but people of all ages do it, Driving too slow is also just as dangerous btw. I have come around bends at normal (usually way under speed limit as i dont like bends) speeds to find I am on top of a car doing 20mph and have to slam on the breaks. There should be min as well as max speed limits.
5. Its not all down to young people. I am a young driver, but a female one. I have friends who are the boy racer type my friends would not dream of drinking and driving, I have never done it and never will, not even one drink. Its the older people I know who do this. (infact every person I know over 30 or so does this. some have even lost their licenses, got them back after two years and done it again.)
6. I have had close encounters on roads, not caused by speed or drink or carelessness, but by the older driver, who has no respect for new road laws:
   1. indicating( not doing so, too early or late or the wrong way)
   2. seatbelts (not wearing them)
   3. lights in dusk/dawn not on
   4. not dimming headlights
   5. how to drive a roundabout (especially a mulitlane one).
   6. PARKING( I had an old man drive into me in the car park, I was parked and out of my car buying a parking ticket, he still was saying that I drove into him when the garda arrived, only I had witnesses I would of been blamed. we cant pass judgement when we dont know what happened)
7. And as for cheap cars accross the border. What a load of rubbish. I recently bought my Mazda 3 in dublin as it was a lot cheaper(€2000 cheaper for same year, model ect) than accross the border, import duty also is crazy.
8. As for Garda in donegal!! I moved to letterkenny from westmeath two months ago and have never seen such a high police presence in my life. my friends who have come to visit have also commented on this.
9. I agree 8 in a car is madness, but it should be an advertisement for seatbelts save lives, thats it.
10. Road safety is not a matter for sensitivity, Grow up people, if we dont face the problem head on we will never fix it. we need to face the problems and not beat around the bush with sensitivity. I have friends who have died in road accidents and I know that they and their families would be happier that people learn from their deaths and that road deaths are decreased, instead of everyone tip-toeing around, afraid to face why road accidents and deaths actually happen.

so your saying its the young people who go out clubbing and that and then drive home because no transport but yet go on to say its the older people who do it ? :rolleyes:

there is already numerous ad's for seatbelts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzvzqaicMz0 - just one from a long time ago.


just looking at the video from the tv3 and rte website and they showed the megan that they hit on the way and it looks like the somebody crossed the white line but not by much but they still hit one another.

the 61 year old man in the corolla was on the way home from bingo.

tommyhaas

I cant believe the some of the comments on here relating to the passangers of the car. How many times have you been on an overcrowded bus? Happens all the time (or at least it used to when I was in school 10 years ago).

Of course they shouldnt have gotten into the car, but it really is a very minor offence. Surely the focus should be on the real cause of the accident, and where the responsibility lies

cruizer101

Ciar0468 wrote: »

WTF!!!!

Who said that the silver renault was not to blame, or the corolla driver was not drunk or on the wrong side of the road. STOP MAKING JUDGEMENT WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHO CAUSED THE CRASH!!!!.

I agree with you here with don't know the full circumstances but the likely car at fault is the Passat, if the renault hit the Passat why did the Passat not stop.

Ciar0468 wrote: »

On a point not related to this particular crash:

1. Why do people drive home after drinking????
   1. No taxies (or way too expensive),
   2. no busses
   3. no public transport.
2. Who are the people who go out clubbing ect? young people.
3. Have you noticed how its rural isolated parts of the country which have the highest road fatalities??

This in no way excuses drink driving, if thats what you are trying to do.

Ciar0468 wrote: »

1. True that people drive too fast in unsafe stretches of road, but people of all ages do it, Driving too slow is also just as dangerous btw. I have come around bends at normal (usually way under speed limit as i dont like bends) speeds to find I am on top of a car doing 20mph and have to slam on the breaks. There should be min as well as max speed limits.

If you had to brake hard you were driving too fast, you should only drive at a speed where you can brake within your field of view, what if that car was a car in front that had just crashed, and you end up making it a pile up.

sesna

tommyhaas wrote: »

I cant believe the some of the comments on here relating to the passangers of the car. How many times have you been on an overcrowded bus? Happens all the time (or at least it used to when I was in school 10 years ago).

Of course they shouldnt have gotten into the car, but it really is a very minor offence. Surely the focus should be on the real cause of the accident, and where the responsibility lies

Never been on an overcrowded bus.

oldyouth

RIP to those that lost their lives and sympathies to the families. There is not an awful lot more to say until we find out the full details of what happened

Eoin

tommyhaas wrote: »

Of course they shouldnt have gotten into the car, but it really is a very minor offence.

No, it really isn't a very minor offence. At least half the occupants couldn't have been strapped in.

Ciar0468

Sorry If what i said was not totally clear. I am trying to say on that point that there are many factors relating to road accidents, I am saying that late night ones are usually attributed to young drivers who have been drinking/clubbing. These attitudes however are learned from the older generation, when it was the 'norm' to drink and drive.

I am also saying that as far as offenders of road laws and safe driving (which has been pointed out here) and policing of these laws, a lot of this can be attributed to older drivers. I have never been in an accident, but have missed a few because of (they have all been older drivers over 30 maybe 40) who dont kow the simple rules of the road. A woman (grey haired so probably over 50) nearly drove into me yesterday at a junction where she was at a stop line, i had right of way, she didit know a stop line actually meant stop (its penalisable by a penalty point not to stop at one)and started souting at me for not stopping.

I am not saying that young or old are to blame, I am saying that everyone on the road who breaks a law is to blame, that the stipulation that its just young drivers is not true. The assumtions made here are that the drivers in the passat are to blame. Who is sure of that? this appears to be a three car colision, none of us know who is at fault. Road safety is also not just about lives lost, every minor or majour colission is a road safety problem.

Something I have noticed about letterkenny is that people are very courious on the roads here and let you out of junctions or into lanes. Its not the same in westmeath, Thank You Donegal drivers as its actually a pleasure to dive here.

I am a very considerative and carefull driver but the bad driving in this county really gets me worked up. A large percentage of drivers on our roads may never of taken a proper driving test, never mind a written one. Our entire licensing and policing system for driving needs a complete overhaul.

kyote00

With 8 people in the car, you'd have to assume that at best only 5 would have had seat belts on...

also with 8 people on board, the car must have been overloaded and would have been sluggish to stop and steer - especially difficult driving if it was wet, road condition was poor or speed was involved...