Fatal Car Crash on Quincentennial! [updated]

leninbenjamin

A man was killed and a woman was seriously injured in a two car collision in Galway city tonight.

The man who died was the driver of one of the vehicles which collided on the Quincentennial Bridge shortly before 8pm.

The driver and two passengers in the other car were injured and taken to University College Hospital.
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One of the passengers, a woman, is said to be critically ill.

The bridge will remain closed until 4am or 5am, diversions are in place and the accident has caused widespread delays in the city.

Garda technical examinations will continue to examine the scene throughout the night.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1209/rta2.html

Terrible news, and sympathies for the family

This is going to cause mayhem tomorrow. It's going to be a bitch getting across for my exam tomorrow morning.

Edit: RTE have updated their page, looks like they'll have it open in time for the morning rush.

witnessmenow

is awful news ok, my sympathies too.

Was wondering why traffic was so bad, i also heard 4-5 sirens too.

It says on the website that the bridge will be open from about 4-5am now, either way i'll be leaving very early for my exam

Shamrogue

It may be open in the morning.
RTE news website...
"The bridge will remain closed until 4am or 5am, diversions are in place and the accident has caused widespread delays in the city."

leninbenjamin

yeah i updated the first post while you guys were typing...

Jesus!

My bedroom quite literally looks over this bridge and its so bizare looking at it now and seeing no cars whatsoever.

Zzippy

Tragic news, feel for the people involved. Was very surprised to hear this, especially that time on a Sunday evening - the traffic is usually busy enough and you can't drive too fast there - also with 4 lanes people don't have to go over the white line to overtake. Certainly in the few years I've been here I've never seen a collision there, and very rarely seen anyone driving badly/fast enough to cause a fatal one

My sympathy for the victims.I never seen excessive speed on the bridge.Apart from bikes.

TerrorFirmer

Terrible. Wonder how that happened, difficult to imagine cards going at sufficent speed in that particular area to cause such harm.

JohnCleary

WAs in the area at the time, didn't know what the heck was going on. Bummer

Accident happened quite near the round-about too, so at least one of the car's couldn't have been doing too fast. Will be interesting to hear (if at all) what was teh cause of the crash

forbairt

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

the traffic is usually busy enough and you can't drive too fast there

I live right beside the bridge about 50 meters from where it happened. Trust me cars can drive way too fast there and it happens regularly.

In this case I've no idea what happened heard a lot of commotion and it wasn't till later when I was walking by I realised the bridge had been closed off and the accident was actually just outside.

Bass Cadet

Awful news and sympathies to the families...

I think Ireland is the only country in the world to have dual carriageways without appropriate barriers between opposite carriageways. I don't know the details of what happened but I can only imagine that it must have been a head-on collision to cause fatalities on the bridge. In fact, Galway has two lethal dual carriageways, the road between the headford and tuam roads being the other. The speed limit is meant to be 50kmh which is a joke to start with but that's never enforced because the city would come to a stand-still if it was. Even at 50km/h two cars crashing head-on could cause fatalities

forbairt

Bass Cadet wrote: »

I think Ireland is the only country in the world to have dual carriageways without appropriate barriers between opposite carriageways.

from wikipedia ...

While most drivers are clear about what a motorway is, some are confused about the definition of a dual carriageway. For a road to be classed as a dual carriageway, the two directions of traffic flow must be physically separated by a central reservation. A road where the two directions of flow are separated only by lines painted on the road surface is a single carriageway, regardless of the number of traffic lanes that may be available to the traffic in each direction. So a road with three or four lanes is not a dual carriageway if there is no central reservation.

Bass Cadet wrote: »

The speed limit is meant to be 50kmh which is a joke to start with but that's never enforced because the city would come to a stand-still if it was. Even at 50km/h two cars crashing head-on could cause fatalities

I thought its that the road is in a built up area and to avoid noise pollution the road is 50km/hr

Bass Cadet

forbairt wrote: »

from wikipedia ...





I thought its that the road is in a built up area and to avoid noise pollution the road is 50km/hr

You might be right there but the fact is that speed limit hasn't been enforced for years. I'd say the average speed going accross the bridge is at least 60km/hr or more (when its not rush hour). Despite what wikipedia says, any road with an overtaking/fast lane will always be treated like a dual carriageway and without barriers, by the law of averages, there will be a head-on collision at some point. I'm not saying this is what happened in this case because I don't know the facts of the accident. Unfortunately though, 2 cars even at 50km/hr crashing head-on can cause fatalities. Despite any definition of road, its a crazy situation to have 2 carriageways in either direction without an appropriate barrier in place. Whatever the circumstances of the accident its even more tragic just before Christmas...

forbairt

I'd be strongly in favour of them enforcing the speeds ... two simple speed cameras would make a hell of a lot of difference.

If you've ever been at the traffic lights at the far side of the bridge and watch the cars fly through the traffic lights when they are orange / red it makes you wonder what the hell they are playing at Not to mention at the other pedestrian lights at terryland dunnes. And then trying to cross at the roundabout is just plain crazy.

Unfortunately it takes an event like this to draw attention to things

I believe anyone who's been around a while in galway remembers the students crossing the bridge over the 4 lanes of traffic ... it took a good year or two before they implemented a stairs to the far side

Zzippy

Bass Cadet wrote: »

You might be right there but the fact is that speed limit hasn't been enforced for years. .

Actually I regularly see garda cars stopping people for speeding there, usually in unmarked cars. They also put a squad car with a speed gun to catch people coming down the hill from the Tuam Rd roundabout occasionally. Have also seen people stopped on the bridge, or just before it, but not as often as on the other road you mention.

forbairt

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Actually I regularly see garda cars stopping people for speeding there, usually in unmarked cars. They also put a squad car with a speed gun to catch people coming down the hill from the Tuam Rd roundabout occasionally. Have also seen people stopped on the bridge, or just before it, but not as often as on the other road you mention.

Now that you mention it I think I've seen two people stopped before, I've never seen anyone with a speed gun on it though. I've regularly seen them on the headford rd -> tuam road ... bipass/road ? though

JohnCleary

I've seen them stopping people for speeding on the bridge before. Not very often, but have witnessed it on occasion none the less

Fey!

Condolances to the families affected by last nights tragedy.

Unfortunately, there were even more nuts than usual around the bridge; I had a guy try to overtake me while I was overtaking another car at around 4pm! Then I had a van nearly mash me as it cut lanes on the magic roundabout on the way home.

I've seen the gardai with a speed trap set up outside a house opposite the Statoil in Newcastle a couple of times (only spotted them because I was in the van; couldn't see them otherwise). I'd imagine that we will see more of them there in the coming weeks. I've also seen them set up checkpoints on the bridge, but not for several years now.

JohnCleary

Fey! wrote: »

Condolances to the families affected by last nights tragedy.

Unfortunately, there were even more nuts than usual around the bridge; I had a guy try to overtake me while I was overtaking another car at around 4pm! Then I had a van nearly mash me as it cut lanes on the magic roundabout on the way home.

I've seen the gardai with a speed trap set up outside a house opposite the Statoil in Newcastle a couple of times (only spotted them because I was in the van; couldn't see them otherwise). I'd imagine that we will see more of them there in the coming weeks. I've also seen them set up checkpoints on the bridge, but not for several years now.

There was a jackass weaving between lanes yesterday on the bridge in a feckin Starlet. No indicators or anything. So eventually he came to pass me out. Weaves infront of me, and puts on his indicator for ONE flash... AFTER he has weaved into 'my' lane, there was about 2ft between us :mad:. I was tempted to get out of the car at the traffic lights, drag the fcuker onto the road and dance on his face. But then i'd probably have been arrested for assualt eventhough he nearly sent myself and the GF into oncoming traffic.

(PS. I was on the 'fast' lane as I was overtaking a lorry doing about 28MPH, my speed was about 31MPH)

Bass Cadet

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Actually I regularly see garda cars stopping people for speeding there, usually in unmarked cars. They also put a squad car with a speed gun to catch people coming down the hill from the Tuam Rd roundabout occasionally. Have also seen people stopped on the bridge, or just before it, but not as often as on the other road you mention.

I go back and over the bridge at least 3 times a day and I havn't seen any cops there for about 3 years. we must use it at completely different times. Either that or I badly need new glasses! In fact, I remember the last time I saw cops with a speed trap on the bridge, some lunatic roared past us at about 80mph going on 100 (as it was at the time). when we got to the end, a cop with a speed gun had him pulled in just before the magic roundabout. Cop looked raging! Doubt the guy held a steering wheel again for a good while after that! that was a good 3 yrs ago.

I remember a GATSO van parked on the other 'dual carriageway'/bypass once or twice in the last few years and they seem to have completely stopped their sneaky parking spot in behind the bushes coming up to the end of that section at the Tuam Rd just before the estate entrance

JIZZLORD

JohnCleary wrote: »

There was a jackass weaving between lanes yesterday on the bridge in a feckin Starlet. No indicators or anything. So eventually he came to pass me out. Weaves infront of me, and puts on his indicator for ONE flash... AFTER he has weaved into 'my' lane, there was about 2ft between us :mad:. I was tempted to get out of the car at the traffic lights, drag the fcuker onto the road and dance on his face. But then i'd probably have been arrested for assualt eventhough he nearly sent myself and the GF into oncoming traffic.

(PS. I was on the 'fast' lane as I was overtaking a lorry doing about 28MPH, my speed was about 31MPH)

was this at around 10 past 4, a starlet nearly ran into me as i was crossing the road. he then proceded to put the foot to the floor after avoiding me.

JohnCleary

JIZZLORD wrote: »

was this at around 10 past 4, a starlet nearly ran into me as i was crossing the road. he then proceded to put the foot to the floor after avoiding me.

Yup, dark'ish navy starlet (The granny shape, not even a GT)... What a legend of a rally driver in control, he even had a vacum gauge on his dash :rolleyes:

Yes he pulled in that close infront of me I could see it clearly :eek:

JIZZLORD

that was it. we shared a moment john.

kevmy

forbairt wrote: »

I believe anyone who's been around a while in galway remembers the students crossing the bridge over the 4 lanes of traffic ... it took a good year or two before they implemented a stairs to the far side

More like 5 or 6


Tbh it said it was a head on collision. Even if both cars were doing 30mph thats a 60mph collision which is more than enough to kill people. The question that has to be asked is why someone was on the wrong side of the road. Considering even the lanes are of generous size you have to presume someone fell asleep at the wheel or something.

Horrible thing to happen and on what is a safe road (for car users anyway). A central median may have made a difference but it can't really be installed now. The ship sailed for that once the construction was finished on the bridge

JohnCleary

JIZZLORD wrote: »

that was it. we shared a moment john.

The coward didn't even have the balls to look me in the eye at the traffic lights.. What a hero :rolleyes:

ScumLord

I've had people float across into my path on that road before. It nearly caused an accident as I was overtaking and couldn't go back into the other lane. It's a simple case of not paying attention to what your doing. Some people seem to think driving slow makes you immune to having an accident and will spend more time looking at the passenger than the road in front of them.

Although I wouldn't rule out the possibility of puddles being the cause but I doubt it.

Probably was trying to overtake someone on the far lane.

UPDATED

It's now two people that died:

Mon 10th December 2007

Gardai have confirmed the two people killed in last evening's crash in the city were locals.

A 40 year old man from Galway city and a 33 year old woman from the county died from injuries sustained when the cars they were travelling in collided on the Quincentenial Bridge just before 8pm.

The 40 year old man was the driver of one of the cars which was in collision with another car on the Quincentennial Bridge just before 8 last night.

A 33 year old woman,who was in the second car, was taken to Univeristy Hospital Galway with serious injuries but later died during surgery.

Two other people in the car were also taken to hospital and a spokesperson for the hospital has confirmed that they are in a stable condition this morning

Source: Galway News

Fozzie Bear

First off my condolences to both families. A terrible tragedy to happen so close to Christmas. Alas if other years are anything to go by then we will be having this repeated up and down the country this Christmas season.

Does anyone know exactly where the crash happened? Was it at the magic roundabout or Newcastle/traffic lights end, in the middle or actually on the bridge itself?? We were just talking about it at dinner time and speculating as to what could have happened or caused the accident.

Does anyone remember the accident that happened a couple of years ago on this stretch of road where a female NUIG student who was walking on the footpath was mown down by some boy racer clown who was speeding and did not have a license or insurance (if memory serves). The car ended up on its roof after sliding down a grass embankment between the bridge and just before you come to the houses in Cuirt Na Coiribe. He had been heading towards the roundabout. Its a road with some history.

snubbleste

I use that bridge often and I've seen many motorists being stopped for speeding (pre 2005) but also more recently for breathalyser tests.

Everybody knows that the maximum permitted limit on that road is 50kph 24 hours a day. There are even signs erected saying so. So why do motorists deliberately choose to speed, commit offences and breach their licence and insurance contracts?

forbairt

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

Does anyone know exactly where the crash happened? Was it at the magic roundabout or Newcastle/traffic lights end, in the middle or actually on the bridge itself??

It was about 1/3 of the way between the actual bridge and the tesco roundabout. If you know where all the students going home enter into Dun Na Coiribe ... just about there.

Wompa1

I live in Dun, went out to see what the commotion was and got talkin to a lad that was talking to one of the only witnesses I believe. The guy was flooring it supposidly which you'd believe from the way his car was thrown. Also I'd assume he wasn't wearing a seat belt because his body was in the middle of the road, not sure how much to say here because its a bit graphic and its based on here say kinda...it was just by the students walk way at the back of Dun na Coiribe. A witness said there were two kids in the ladies car, I didn't see any kids myself though just a lady being put into an ambulance and the dead man in the road. Buckle up and don't speed I guess!

leninbenjamin

Wompa1 wrote: »

I live in Dun, went out to see what the commotion was and got talkin to a lad that was talking to one of the only witnesses I believe. The guy was flooring it supposidly which you'd believe from the way his car was thrown. Also I'd assume he wasn't wearing a seat belt because his body was in the middle of the road, not sure how much to say here because its a bit graphic and its based on here say kinda...it was just by the students walk way at the back of Dun na Coiribe. A witness said there were two kids in the ladies car, I didn't see any kids myself though just a lady being put into an ambulance and the dead man in the road. Buckle up and don't speed I guess!

Jesus that sounds horrible... perhaps this will serve as a wakeup call to some drivers, as a cyclist i see so many cars taking unnecessary risks every single day, overtaking on blind corners, running red lights all that crap... needs to be a bit more cop on from your average driver.

hairyfairy00

Both have been named, it so sad especially because it's so close to Christmas.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1210/rta.html

That side of Galway (and especially St Bridget's Place/Terrace/Tesco/Lidl) is a deathtrap. There's constant boy-racers speeding and being reckless around there. Like I said previously, my bedroom is overlooking all of this so I hear it all the time. I'm surprised the possibly hundreds of people living in and around this area haven't tried to do something about it.

I know I've been tempted to go out and hurl eggs at any boy-racer that speeds down my road.

finlma

Deleted User wrote: »

I never seen excessive speed on the bridge.Apart from bikes.

You obviously don't drive a car so - I drive the bridge a few times every day and I do so in or around the speed limit of 50 km/hr. I get overtaken by so many other vehicles - I'd say 90% of vehicles crossing that bridge do so over the speed limit.

Zzippy

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Jesus that sounds horrible... perhaps this will serve as a wakeup call to some drivers, as a cyclist i see so many cars taking unnecessary risks every single day, overtaking on blind corners, running red lights all that crap... needs to be a bit more cop on from your average driver.

I hope you're one of the tiny minority of cyclists in Galway who actually uses a light on their bike, and doesn't run red lights, all that crap. I can't believe the number of cyclists in Galway who take stupid risks every day.
This isn't trying to excuse the bad drivig of motorists, as a driver I see everything you've described too, but I also see pedestrians and cyclists doig stupid things and putting themselves and others at risk too...

JohnCleary

As a poster said above, without getting too graphic. I spoke to someone who claimed to have been on the road (just as the cops were arriving). He said he saw a male body in the middle of the road, and couldn't see a head :eek:

Don't know if it was just the guy talking silly or what, either way

leninbenjamin

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

I hope you're one of the tiny minority of cyclists in Galway who actually uses a light on their bike, and doesn't run red lights, all that crap. I can't believe the number of cyclists in Galway who take stupid risks every day.

I am actually... i feel like decking some of my fellow cyclists for the reputation they give me.

but for the most part the risks cyclists take are usually not on the same scale as some of the worst offenders on our roads (namely those who drive for a living, cabbies and truckers and the like).

BillyGoatGruff

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

First off my condolences to both families. A terrible tragedy to happen so close to Christmas. Alas if other years are anything to go by then we will be having this repeated up and down the country this Christmas season.

Does anyone know exactly where the crash happened? Was it at the magic roundabout or Newcastle/traffic lights end, in the middle or actually on the bridge itself?? We were just talking about it at dinner time and speculating as to what could have happened or caused the accident.

Does anyone remember the accident that happened a couple of years ago on this stretch of road where a female NUIG student who was walking on the footpath was mown down by some boy racer clown who was speeding and did not have a license or insurance (if memory serves). The car ended up on its roof after sliding down a grass embankment between the bridge and just before you come to the houses in Cuirt Na Coiribe. He had been heading towards the roundabout. Its a road with some history.

Not sure if he was a boy racer. Do know that he had no insurance but supposedly it was a blowout of one of the tyres that caused the accident.

Zzippy

leninbenjamin wrote: »

I am actually... i feel like decking some of my fellow cyclists for the reputation they give me.

but for the most part the risks cyclists take are usually not on the same scale as some of the worst offenders on our roads (namely those who drive for a living, cabbies and truckers and the like).

Agreed. I think when some of those cyclists start driving and have a couple of near misses - nearly killing some guy on a bike cos they couldn't see him, or because he came through a red light - they'll think better of their behaviour. I know most of the time they're only risking their own lives, and drivers are risking killing other people, but imagine the guilt you'd feel having killed someone in an accident, even if it was no fault of your own. A friend of mine knocked a child down a couple of years ago, he ran out on the road from behind a car and she never had a chance to stop. No fault of hers, but she was absolutely devastated for a long time afterwards...

JohnCleary

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

Not sure if he was a boy racer. Do know that he had no insurance but supposedly it was a blowout of one of the tyres that caused the accident.

Wow I must be physic, was discussing this with the oul man an hour after the crash and thought that the only way that could have happened was because of a blowout. Well, not physic, but you get my drift.

How did ya know he had no insurance? Did it say it on the news?

hairyfairy00

JohnCleary wrote: »

Wow I must be physic, was discussing this with the oul man an hour after the crash and thought that the only way that could have happened was because of a blowout. Well, not physic, but you get my drift.

How did ya know he had no insurance? Did it say it on the news?

I've also been told 'what really happened' e.g alcohol involved and a blowout but no matter what happened it so desperately sad that people traveling home had their lives cut short. My condolence are with the families of the victims.

Fey!

Based on what I've heard, there's a huge amount of incorrect speculation on here as to the reason for the accident. Why not wait until there's some official report; this is hard enough on the victims families as it is.

EDIT: re-reading my post, it looks as if I'm lecturing. That's not the way it's meant.

Robbo

Fey! wrote: »

Based on what I've heard, there's a huge amount of incorrect speculation on here as to the reason for the accident. Why not wait until there's some official report; this is hard enough on the victims families as it is.

EDIT: re-reading my post, it looks as if I'm lecturing. That's not the way it's meant.

Lecture on. These ghouls tend to see a death as an opportunity to entertain theories that are generally so far wide of the mark, they may as well be located on the moon.

That said, no one's blamed this on those pesky non-nationals yet.

JohnCleary

I bet it was a foreigner that caused the crash. DAMN FOREIGNERS!

hairyfairy00

Fey! wrote: »

Based on what I've heard, there's a huge amount of incorrect speculation on here as to the reason for the accident. Why not wait until there's some official report; this is hard enough on the victims families as it is.

EDIT: re-reading my post, it looks as if I'm lecturing. That's not the way it's meant.

Same here, i don't want people on here to think that i'm lecturing them about what they have heard. As you said lets wait until the official report

Zzippy

JohnCleary wrote: »

I bet it was a foreigner that caused the crash. DAMN FOREIGNERS!

Der takin our jabs!!!!

That roundabout down by the Galway Shopping Centre with all the traffic lights on it is a death-trap for people who don't know it very well. The amount of times I've seen cars stopping midway at a red light that was meant for someone else is ridiculous.

I was a competitive cyclist for years and there's been countless times that I've been involved in near-collisions with cars not watching where they were going. The worst was our Sunday morning practice sessions as we always had to be on the look out for people who would have been still drunk from that Saturday. Rural areas were the worst for this.

Fozzie Bear

JohnCleary wrote: »

Wow I must be physic, was discussing this with the oul man an hour after the crash and thought that the only way that could have happened was because of a blowout. Well, not physic, but you get my drift.

How did ya know he had no insurance? Did it say it on the news?

i think your getting your wires crossed John. Billy Goat was referring to a previous accident several years ago on this road where a NUIG student was knocked down and killed on almost the exact same stretch of road as Sunday's crash.

If you go back and re-read my previous post and Billygoatgruffs it should become clearer.

I don't think anyone knows yet what caused Sunday's accident.

JohnCleary

Fozzie - Grand ill take your word for it, fcuked if im going back re-reading others posts

Crazy how an accident like this happened all the same, I reckon a blowout could be a definate POSSIBILITY