The five teenagers who died in a devastating collision on the M9 have been identified. They were 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.
The teenagers were travelling in a high-performance BMW the wrong way on the M9 when it crashed into a family car heading to Dublin Airport in the early hours of Sunday. The collision claimed five lives and left several others injured.
Gardai inform families
While the names have not been officially confirmed, gardai have informed all the teenagers' families. A liaison officer has been assigned to each household. It is expected to take several days before post-mortem examinations are completed and the remains can be returned to their families.
The BMW is believed to have been travelling at speeds exceeding 120km/h when it hit the Hyundai near Junction 3 of the M9 in Co Kildare at approximately 3am on Sunday.
Injured family members
The Hyundai's occupants, three women and a young child, were from the same extended family from Carlow. They all survived but sustained severe injuries. The seven-year-old boy is being treated at Crumlin Children's Hospital. The female driver and front seat passenger are in critical condition at Tallaght University Hospital. The woman seated in the rear beside the boy is in a serious condition at St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny.
Gardaí in Athy are continuing their investigation, and the M9 has been fully reopened to traffic since Monday morning.
Shock and response
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said its officers were "all in shock" following the "horrific incident". GRA vice-president John Joe O'Connell said the BMW had earlier failed to stop for Gardaí and that it was his understanding that an instruction was given not to engage with the vehicle as it travelled the wrong way down the M9.
Asked whether this followed standard protocol, he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: "It would be standard practice, and the command and control centre would be dictating what happens in a live environment – but the members in the cars have to make a split-second decision."
Mr O'Connell highlighted that "numerous gangs" of lads and young men were "trying to outdo each other" through social media clips showing encounters with Gardaí, chases and wrong-way motoring. "Our members are not going to follow down that route – we're damned if you do and damned if you don't, that way," he said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was "shocked and saddened" by the tragedy, calling it "an irresponsible and dangerous act". He suggested such incidents are, in some cases, "being done for likes on social media". He added: "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."
Anyone with information is urged to contact Athy Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
