Tractor Death Is Fifth Road Tragedy

It has been another weekend of carnage on the roads across Ireland.

As a local SDLP Councillor John Drake expressed his sympathy to the family of a man killed in a tractor accident on the Banbridge Road in Dromara, it has emerged that he was one of five people who died over the past few days.

"Stephen Stewart was a neighbour of mine from a very well respected family and his death is a tragic loss.

"We don't know all the details of the accident but there was snow and the roads were very icy at the time," said Cllr Drake was co-opted to Lisburn City Council earlier this month to replace the late Peter O'Hagan.

Meanwhile, four people survived after they had to be cut from their cars by the fire service in Londonderry on Saturday morning after a collision between two cars.

It happened on the Culmore Road, at Ballynashallog, at about 9.15am.

However, across the border in nearby Donegal, a road crash this weekend claimed more lives, including a father and son.

John Gallagher, 55, and his 24-year-old son Sean died when their car collided with another vehicle at Burt on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, gardai in Milford, Co Donegal are investigating the circumstances of a fatal road traffic collision in which a 60-year-old male received serious injuries on Friday evening.

It is believed the pedestrian was struck by the vehicle and later died on his way to hospital. The occupants of the vehicle were uninjured.

Lastly, a 26-year-old male was fatally injured in a single vehicle road traffic collision on the southbound lane of the M7 motorway. See: Four Killed On Irish Roads This Weekend

(BMcC/GK)