TWO GRANDPARENTS and their three-year-old grandson have died in a single vehicle crash near Cashel, Co. Tipperary. Gardaí say the accident happened after the family car hit a wall.
The parents of the infant boy were seriously injured in the accident and have received emergency treatment in hospital. The couple are in their twenties, and the young man was driving. The two adults who were killed were in their forties. They had been sitting in the rear seats and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The family, who were well known in the Cashel area, belonged to the Traveller community.
The accident happened when the family’s car hit a wall on a back road after coming off the M8 motorway. The accident happened around 9pm on Tuesday, August 30 in the Knockbulloge area on the Windmill Road just southwest of Cashel.
The bodies of the man and woman were removed to University Hospital Waterford, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out.
The infant's body was removed to Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel.
Local Fine Gael councillor and Mayor of Cashel, Declan Burgess, tweeted:
"Awful news in our town of #Cashel tonight following a serious crash in the Windmill area. My thoughts and prayers are with the families involved. It’s a devastating blow for our community.
“Cashel is numb tonight. Deeply shocking. Big thanks to the first responders for their work in difficult circumstances.”
An incident room has been established at Cahir Garda Station and gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
A spokesperson said: “Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the Windmill Knockbulloge area near Cashel between 8:30pm and 9:15pm yesterday evening are asked to make this footage available to gardaí.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cahir Garda station on 052 617 7640, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”
This is the second fatal crash within days in Tipperary. Four people were killed in crash near Clonmel last week.
Twenty four-year-old Luke McSweeney, his 18-year-old sister Grace McSweeney and Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, both also 18, were killed on their way to a Leaving Certs celebration
The funerals for the four will be held later this week.
