Three sisters seriously injured when a gang of joyriders drove the wrong way down a motorway and crashed head-on into their car remain in hospital, a friend has said. Niamh and Alma Kinsella, in their 30s, and their younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, along with a seven-year-old boy, were injured in the collision on the M9 in Co Kildare on Sunday. Five teenagers in the other car, a high-powered BMW, all died.
Nearly £200,000 raised for family
Nearly £200,000 has been raised for the family to support them on the 'long and challenging road ahead'. Ella's friend Bryan Curley set up a GoFundMe page, saying it 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,' he added. More than 8,000 donations have been made in less than 24 hours since it launched.
Details of the crash
Niamh and Alma were travelling in the front of the vehicle, while Ella and the child were in the back when the collision happened shortly before 3am on Sunday. The four relatives were on their way from Carlow to Dublin Airport to attend a family wedding in the UK. Ella is understood to have been working as a social worker and Niamh is thought to be a PE teacher at a local school. The family was described by locals as 'lovely' and 'quiet'. The five teenagers have been named as Joe Carthy and Jack Kennedy from Athy, Co Kildare, Alex McCarthy and Jeremy O'Brien from Carlow and Kamil Pustkowski from Limerick.
Political and justice response
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was 'shocked and saddened' at the horrific crash, which he described as being the result of 'an irresponsible and dangerous act'. Mr Martin said 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.' He thanked emergency personnel who attended the 'devastating scene' and said he would be speaking to the Minister for Justice and to An Garda Síochána about the matter. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan is considering a new criminal offence for those who drive the wrong way on a motorway, the Irish Independent reports.
Background on the teenagers
The five teens were suspects in several car thefts and burglaries and often posted videos of themselves being chased by gardaí onto social media, with one clip showing the view in their rear mirror captioned 'wrong way'. A security source told the Daily Mail the teenagers were part of an increasing number of youths trying to 'one up' each other in dangerous videos posted to social media. 'These young guys have been terrorising communities for weeks if not longer,' they added. 'They did not care if they were caught as they knew they were underage and that there was little the courts system could do with them. It's becoming a growing social media trend, and it's been a nightmare for gardaí to police because they are often ordered to stand down from pursuits because of the danger that chasing these guys could put the public in.'
