This article is from page 2 of the 2008-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
FOUR motorists and their passen- gers had lucky escapes when three separate traffic accidents occurred within minutes of each other on the same stretch of the Ennis bypass on Saturday morning.
The incidents occurred shortly af- ter 8.15am on the main N18, near the townland of Ballymacahill, af- ter a shower of hailstones fell on an already freezing road. All four driv- ers were taken by surprise and were fortunate to escape without being injured.
Two crashes occurred on the north- bound route while the third happened only yards away on the southbound EWaYehe
Units of the fire brigade and ambu-
lance service from Ennis rushed to the scene and discovered the sepa- rate incidents on opposite sides of the dual-carriageway.
One vehicle left the road and trav- elled across a grass verge before col- liding with a timber fence while a second mounted a ditch before over- turning. Both had lost control in the treacherous conditions and were ex- tensively damaged.
While neither car could be driven afterwards their occupants escaped unscathed. There were no passengers in either car.
It is understood that one of the drivers later travelled to Belfast by jo) e-b alee
In the third incident, two cars trav- elling towards Limerick collided after skidding on another patch of
frozen hailstone. There was a sole occupant in one of the vehicles while the second car was carrying a family of four.
The roadway was closed for a short time while emergency services dealt with the incidents. Ambulance per- sonnel examined those involved: no one was injured and none required hospitalisation.
Garda patrol cars were positioned at opposite ends of the bypass, at Latoon and Barefield, to warn mo- torists of the accidents ahead and the dangerous driving conditions. By about 9.30am the scenes had been cleared and the dual-carriageway GUD Kere) ele nleer
The crashes occurred the day after unexpected snow showers caused havoc on Clare roads. Forecasters
had warned of “some snow in hilly areas’. However, heavy snow show- ers fell across the county, resulting in extremely dangerous dangerous conditions and dozens of minor ac- cidents.
Gale force winds on Sunday led to several problems for drivers yester- day. A fallen tree near Corofin re- sulted in the road being impassable for several hours.
There were also reports of fallen trees on the road between Inagh and Miltown Malbay and in the Kilna- mona area. They were cleared within hours.
St Joseph’s Secondary School in Spanish Point was closed yesterday, as a result of severe flooding in the area. Despite the high winds, the ESB noted no power outages in Clare.