Woman seriously injured in attack from motorway bridge

Two youths have been arrested following an incident where a boulder thrown from the Hightown Road bridge over the M2 went through a passing car's windscreen seriously injuring the driver.

The woman, a 56-year-old midwife, boulder smashed the car's windscreen and struck her on the left side of her upper body, shattering her shoulder. The woman's condition was described as "stable" in hospital.

The car had been heading out of the city near Glengormley at around 23:15 pm on Saturday when the attack occurred. The boulder smashed through the windscreen striking the woman a glancing blow to the head. The woman's car veered across the carriageway and struck the central crash barrier before eventually coming to rest on the motorway. Emergency services said that the woman had been found slumped unconscious over the steering wheel of the car.

A police spokesperson said that on Sunday evening a bus travelling under a bridge on the M2 with 25 children on board was stuck by an iron bar thrown from the Bellevue flyover. The bar stuck a toughened area of glass in the upper window area, and although shaken by the attack, the bus driver was able to control the bus and continue on.

SDLP Assembly Member, Donovan McClelland, said he was deeply concerned about what he described as the "despicable" attacks. He said that in both incidents those concerned were "lucky to escape with their lives".

He said that he would be seeking to meet with local police to see what further action could be taken to prevent these attacks from taking place.

One suggestion is the erection of fencing along the bridge parapets to prevent heavy objects from being dropped onto passing vehicles.

(SP)