Update:
19.05 – The victim has been named as Gary Kelly from the Gort Road in Ennis. The injured teenage girl has been named locally as Delia Keary from Crusheen.
16.55 – Despite the road being reopened this morning, the N21 was closed again for a time this afternoon so that the truck could be removed from the scene. A crane had to be brought in to safely remove the lorry.
A young man from Co Clare has died in a road traffic collision in Co Limerick while an 18-year-old girl was critically injured.
The two-vehicle head-on collision occurred on the N21 at Wards Cross near Abbeyfeale at around 7.40 last night.
A 19-year-old driver, believed to be from Ennis, was fatally injured when the KIA car he was driving was involved in a collision with a refuse truck. The lorry left the road and ploughed through a ditch and down an embankment.
The 18-year-old female passenger was critically injured. It’s understood they were travelling to Killarney at the time of the crash.
Units of the fire brigade from Newcastlewest and Abbeyfeale along with several ambulances and garda patrols attended the incident.
The young man was pronounced dead at the scene and his body removed to University Hospital Limerick.
The teenage girl was rushed to UHL with injuries that have been described as “critical”. The driver of the truck was uninjured.
Both vehicles were removed from the scene this morning after a technical examination of the site had been completed. The car and truck will also be forensically examined.
Gardai wish to appeal for witnesses to contact Newcastle West Garda Station on 069 20650, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.