This article is from page 10 of the 2013-03-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
AN ELDERLY Lisdoonvarna man is recovering in hospital today following a serious accident just outside Ennistymon on Sunday afternoon.
The man, who is in his 60s, was injured when the van he was travelling in collided with a concrete pillar at the Kilfenora junction on the N67 between Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna.
The man is understood to have suffered a blackout before the vehicle veered off the road and into the pillar.
Two units of the fire brigade and an ambulance from Ennistymon, along with a rapid response paramedic and the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard, all responded to the incident.
The man was transferred by helicopter from North Clare to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick where injuries were said to be serious but not immediately lifethreatening.
The road remained closed for several hours on Sunday while a forensic examination was completed.
Meanwhile, a stag weekend in the Burren nearly turned to tragedy on Saturday when a male climber had a lucky escape after falling nearly 30 feet while abseiling.
The incident happened just before 5pm on Saturday afternoon when a group was climbing near Moneen Mountain in the Burren.
The Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard stretchered the injured man from inside a rocky gorge to an area where the Shannon-based Coastguard helicopter could airlift him to hospital.
The man is understood to have broken both of his ankles in the incident, as well as suffering back injury.
“There was a group of people on a stag in the Burren. One man fell around 25 feet and had suspected fractures to both his ankles and some lower back pain. The spot was just 400 metres from the road but, because of the way his body landed, it was difficult to move him,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard.
“The helicopter was on the scene and we assisted the winch-man to airlift him from the location and on to Limerick.”