Community in shock as five teenagers injured, one seriously, in Mayo crash

Five teenagers hospitalized following single-vehicle crash in County Mayo

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the incident which happened shortly before 4am on Monday morning on the N5 at Deerpark near Swinford.

The occupants of the vehicle, five teenagers, were taken by ambulance to Mayo University Hospital.

One of them is currently in critical condition.

The road where the accident occurred is currently closed to traffic and local diversions have been put in place.

A spokesperson said Garda Forensic Collision investigators would carry out an examination of the scene later on Monday.

Local Fianna Fáil councilor John Caulfield said the community was shocked to wake up this morning to the news of the serious accident.

He said: “I understand one of the teenagers is seriously ill. We hope and pray that he is okay. My thoughts go out to all the families.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed this collision.

Road users with camera footage who were traveling in the area at the time were asked to make the footage available to the gardaí investigation.

Anyone with information should contact Ballina Garda Station on 096 20560, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Government criticized for leaving two vacancies on RSA board

Separately, the government has been criticized for leaving two vacancies on the board of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), despite an increase in the number of deaths and serious accidents.

Labor TD Duncan Smith called for vacancies since January to be filled immediately “given the alarming rise in road deaths”.

However, Jack Chambers said appointments to the board will not be made until an independent review of the RSA which will examine the organizational structures, funding model, service delivery and strategic objectives for the coming years.

“Pending the outcome of this review, it is prudent to defer any appointment to the board to ensure that any appointment to the board reflects the review’s recommendations in terms of the RSA’s oversight and governance structures and combination of skills within the board itself.”

In response to a parliamentary question tabled by Mr Smith, he said: “Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the board of the Road Safety Authority consists of a chairman and six to eleven ordinary members.

“The quorum of the Board of Directors is set at five members and the current composition of the Board of Directors meets all legislative requirements. There are therefore no vacancies on the Board of Directors, even if the number of its members is currently two fewer than at the end of 2023.” » said Mr. Chambers.