Five teenage boys have died and four other people, including a child, have been seriously injured following a head-on collision involving a car travelling the wrong way along the M9 in County Kildare. The devastating crash happened between Junctions 3 and 4 near Athy at around 3am on Sunday, August 16. Gardaí said two cars collided head-on after one of the vehicles was driven southbound along the northbound carriageway of the motorway.
All five male teenagers died in the collision. Their bodies have since been removed from the scene and taken to Naas General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out.
Four occupants of the second vehicle were seriously injured. The female driver and a female front-seat passenger, both aged in their 30s, remain in a critical condition in hospital.
A woman aged in her 20s who was travelling in the rear of the vehicle is described as being in a serious condition, while a child passenger also suffered serious injuries. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the collision as a “horrific incident” and said the occupants of the second vehicle had been “travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway”.
He also issued a stark warning about wrong-way driving, saying such behaviour was reckless and could have devastating consequences. The Commissioner raised concerns that in some cases dangerous driving may be carried out in pursuit of social media attention, although the information released does not establish that this was the motive in this particular collision.
The circumstances surrounding the crash have now been referred to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, which is conducting an independent investigation. The M9 remains closed in both directions between Junctions 3 and 4 while Garda forensic collision investigators examine the scene.
Officers are expected to carry out a detailed reconstruction of the collision as investigators establish how the vehicle came to be travelling in the wrong direction. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses and are particularly interested in hearing from motorists who travelled on either carriageway of the M9 between 2am and 3am and may have dashcam footage.
The tragedy comes amid renewed concern in Ireland over the potentially catastrophic consequences of vehicles being driven the wrong way on motorways. Five families are now facing the loss of their teenage sons, while four people from the second vehicle remain seriously injured in hospital.
Originally published by UKNIP.
