Gardaí believe a motorist who died on the roads in recent days may have crashed his car in the early hours of last Sunday but his remains lay undiscovered in the vehicle by the roadside for more than 48 hours.
Marcin Nowosielski (47) appears to have crashed his car into a ditch in Co Westmeath at the weekend, though his remains were not found until the emergency services were alerted on Tuesday evening.
The car was found at 6.40pm on Tuesday in a ditch on the roadside of the R395 at Teevrevagh, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath. While gardaí have been trying to piece together Mr Nowosielski’s last movements, the last confirmed sighting of him was n the early hours of Sunday.
“It is currently unclear exactly when the car left the road, but it is believed to have occurred in the previous days,” the Garda said in a statement.
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“Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information on the movements of Marcin Nowosielski or his car, a black Nissan Almera with registration 02 CE 3568, since the early hours of 30th June 2024, to come forward.”
The discovery of Mr Nowosielski’s remains in his car on Tuesday evening was followed by another fatal crash, which claimed the life of a pensioner, in the same area on Wednesday morning.
The two-car collision occurred at about 5.30am on the R394, Gartlandstown, Mullingar to Castlepollard road.
A passenger in one of the vehicles, a man in his 80s, was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in her 60s, who was driving that car was taken for treatment to the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore, where her condition was described as “critical”.
The driver of the other car, a man in his 30s, and a passenger in his 20s were taken to Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar for treatment of less serious injuries.
Supt Liam Geraghty said the Garda extended its deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the deceased. He also urged road users to exercise caution.
“Recent incidents on our roads once again tragically illustrate the dangers that can affect any of us,” he said. “No one sets out with the intention of causing or being involved in a traffic collision, especially one that results in fatalities. We often take using our roads as a routine activity, yet it remains the most hazardous task we engage in daily.”
The two deaths in Westmeath follow a fatal crash in Co Mayo that left her mother and young daughter dead. Aisling Moore (46) and daughter Abbigael (8) from Swinford were killed in a collision with a driver in a lorry on Tuesday.
The crash occurred at about 5.45pm on the N26 at Lismoran, near Foxford.
Some 97 people have been killed on Irish roads so far this year, according to the latest data, an increase of 12 when compared to the same period in 2023.
Drivers accounted for 35 of those, followed by passengers (22), pedestrians (21), and motorcyclists (12).
Five fatalities were cyclists while the remaining two deaths involved an E-scooter.
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