Five teenagers killed in a head-on crash on Ireland's M9 motorway have been named as police confirmed the four survivors—a family of three women and a 7-year-old boy—remain in serious or critical condition in hospital.
The collision happened in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, when a BMW driven by the teens was driven the wrong way down the motorway and collided head-on with a Hyundai carrying the family at more than 74mph. The four Hyundai passengers were all from the same family, according to the Irish Mirror.
Teenagers named as tributes pour in
The five boys have been identified as Jeremy O'Brien, 18, from Carlow; Alex McCarthy, 17, from Carlow; Joey Carthy, 15, from Athy, Kildare; Jack Kennedy, 17, also from Athy; and Kamil Pustkowski, 17, from Limerick.
Their families and friends have paid tribute. Jeremy O'Brien's mother, Margaret, posted: "Rest in heavenly peace, my beautiful son. Things will never be the same without you. You took a piece of my heart to heaven with you. It was such a privilege to be your mother. I am so proud of you."
One post paying tribute to Joe Carthy said: "Why did it have to be you of all people? You would never see a bad bone in his body. He really was going to make something when he grew up." Tributes were also paid to Kamil Pustkowski, with a pal saying on TikTok: "Rest easy, Kamil. Look over all of us." Another pal said: "Only spoke the other day and was planning to meet. My heart's broken bro, missing ye already. We will all do ye proud brother."
Survivors' condition and investigation update
The survivors were driving to Dublin airport to fly to England for a wedding. The 7-year-old boy is being treated at Crumlin Children's Hospital, having suffered a broken leg. The female driver and front seat passenger remain critically ill in Tallaght University Hospital, and the woman in the back seat was in a serious condition at St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny before being moved to St Vincent's Hospital in south Dublin.
Police have updated the investigation. Initially, gardai believed the teens had stolen the car after reports of young suspects trying to break into vehicles and houses in nearby Athy at around 2am on Sunday. But cops are now satisfied that the BMW was legitimately purchased by an associate of one of the teenagers for €1,100 (£940).
The tragedy has sparked debate over how gardai should respond to such incidents, as officers did not pursue the vehicle when it drove the wrong way down the motorway. Fiosru, the police ombudsman, is examining Garda contact with the BMW before the collision.
Road safety calls after video emerges
A video showing another car being driven against the flow of motorway traffic has prompted calls for road safety enforcement. The clip shows a vehicle travelling at speed while driving the wrong way down a busy road, narrowly avoiding two oncoming heavy goods vehicles. It is one of a number of alleged joyriding clips that have surfaced following a crash on the M50 last week and Sunday's fatal crash.
Representatives for frontline officers are calling for appropriate pursuit training to deal with such incidents. The Irish Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, said he was "shocked and saddened" at the tragedy, which he described as the result of "an irresponsible and dangerous act". He said such incidents are, in some cases, "being done for likes on social media", adding: "This is the second appalling crash we've seen on our roads in a matter of days as a result of the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway, endangering the lives of innocent road users."
