Five teenage boys were killed early Sunday when a car driving the wrong way on Ireland’s M9 motorway collided head-on with another vehicle. Four people in the second car were seriously injured.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. on Sunday, August 16, near the town of Athy, southwest of Dublin, DR reports. The car carrying the five teenagers was traveling against the direction of traffic when it hit an oncoming car. All five teenagers died at the scene.
Ireland’s police commissioner, Justin Kelly, called the collision horrific, according to DR. He warned that motorists in some cases drive against traffic to attract attention on social media. Police have not said that the five teenagers in this crash were driving that way for likes.
Sky News reports that the four people in the second car are three women and a child. The driver and front-seat passenger, both women in their 30s, are in critical condition. A woman in her 20s and the child are in serious condition.
Gardaí were alerted to a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of the M9 between junctions 3 and 4 before the collision, RTÉ reports. The section of motorway was closed in both directions for forensic examination, with diversions in place.
Kelly described the four injured people as family members who were traveling innocently when they were struck, per RTÉ. He also said such incidents put officers in a difficult position. They must try to stop the vehicles while protecting other road users.
Police ombudsman opens investigation
The case has been referred to Fiosrú, Ireland’s Office of the Police Ombudsman, which has begun an independent investigation. In a statement issued on August 16, Fiosrú said an on-call investigator attended the scene. It noted that a referral does not in itself imply wrongdoing by police.
Fiosrú examines incidents in which people have died or been seriously harmed in connection with contact with Irish police, DR reports. Kelly has pledged full cooperation with the investigation, according to RTÉ.
Kelly’s warning comes a week after another serious wrong-way collision on an Irish motorway. Nine people were injured in a head-on crash on the M50 in Dublin, where a car was also traveling against traffic, DR reports. The commissioner referred to that incident when describing the dangers of wrong-way driving.
Post-mortem examinations on the five boys are to be carried out at Naas General Hospital, according to Midlands 103, which reported that the victims were understood to be between 14 and 16 years old. Authorities have not formally confirmed their ages.
Gardaí are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash and have appealed for witnesses. Drivers who were on the M9 between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sunday are asked to come forward, particularly if they have dashcam footage.
