More than £170,000 (€200,000) has been raised for three sisters injured in a horrific crash on the M9 in Co Kildare. The incident occurred last weekend when two cars collided after one vehicle was driven the wrong way on the motorway.
Crash Details and Victims
The three sisters were travelling on the motorway in the early hours of August 16, heading to Dublin Airport for a trip abroad. Their car was struck in the collision, leaving the family, including a child, with catastrophic injuries.
According to CorkBeo, five teenagers in the other car, which was travelling the wrong way, died. The BMW carrying the five boys collided with the sisters' Hyundai at a speed of more than 120km/h.
Fundraiser Launched
A GoFundMe has been set up for sisters Niamh Kinsella, Alma Kinsella and Ella Hendricken. The fundraiser was launched on Tuesday, August 18, by a friend of Ella's. By Wednesday morning, it had already raised more than €235,432 towards the €350,000 target. Over 7,000 donors have contributed to supporting the Carlow family.
Organiser Bryan Curley wrote: "Hi, my name is Bryan and I'm setting up this fundraiser for my best friend Ella and her sisters, Niamh and Alma, who were recently involved in a serious road traffic accident. This has been an incredibly difficult and frightening time for Ella, Niamh, Alma and their family. They are facing a long and challenging road ahead, and right now, I ask that you keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. All funds going directly to the family."
Family and Community Response
The family, from the Graigecullen area of Co Carlow, were on their way to the airport to travel to a wedding in England. Niamh and Alma, both in their 30s, were in the front of the car and were critically injured. Their sister Ella, in her 20s, and a seven-year-old boy, were in the back seats and were also seriously injured. Niamh and Alma remain in a critical condition in Tallaght Hospital, while Ella is in St Vincent's Hospital in a serious condition. The young boy is being treated for injuries at Crumlin Children's Hospital. Locals described the family as "lovely" and "quiet."
Ella is understood to have been working as a social worker in Carlow, while Niamh is a PE teacher at a local school. Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Carlow Parish Priest Fr Thomas Little said: "The families of the ones that were hurt are hoping to God that they make a speedy recovery. The community is praying for them and we remembered them in our Masses since the car accident. Those that have lost loved ones are bereft and regret that it has ever happened. There's no doubt a horrendous accident and the emergency services and the guards and hospitals have responded as best they can to the circumstances."
