Two women were airlifted to hospital while a man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving following a road traffic collision in Co Clare yesterday.
The crash, which involved two cars, occurred at around 6.00pm on the N67 Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna road at Kilshanny in the north of the county.
It’s understand that a group of tourists travelling in one vehicle collided with a couple from the local area who were travelling to a funeral in Ennistymon.
Two units of the fire brigade, an ambulance and Gardaí from Ennistymon responded to the incident.
Paramedics quickly set about assessing all those involved. It’s understood there were four people travelling in one vehicle and two in the other car.
A man, believed to be from South America and the driver of the rental car, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drunk driving.
Two women travelling in the car with him, including one believed to have been pregnant, were assessed at the scene before it was decided they should be airlifted from the scene rather than be transported by road.
The National Aeromedical Co-ordination Centre (NACC) was requested to provide a helicopter to fly the injured to University Hospital Galway.
The NACC contacted the Irish Coast Guard to see if it’s Shannon based search and rescue helicopter was available to undertake the emergency mission.
In the meantime, volunteers from the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard were requested for respond to the incident to identify a secure landing site for the helicopter.
Fire service and Irish Coast Guard personnel assisted ambulance paramedics to transfer the injured women to the helicopter.
It’s understood that the pregnant woman may have suffered a fracture pelvis while the second woman’s injuries are minor.
Gardaí at Ennistymon are investigation the incident.