THREE MILITARY trucks which were involved in a crash on the M50 yesterday, in which 28 young soldiers were injured, were not fitted with any safety belts or harnesses, the Defence Forces has confirmed.
The Defence Forces representative body Pdforra last night called on the use of all personnel transportation vehicles to be suspended until safety equipment has been fitted.
The three trucks were part of a nine-vehicle convoy carrying 75 soldiers of private rank from Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin, to a training exercise in the Cooley Mountains, Co Louth, when they were involved in a collision with two cars on the northbound side of the motorway near Ballymun, shortly before 11am.
No one travelling in the cars was injured in the crash. However, 28 soldiers who were sitting unrestrained on benches in the back of the army trucks sustained cuts and other minor injuries, according to the Defence Forces. The drivers of the trucks were unharmed.
The injured were taken by ambulance to hospitals across Dublin including Beaumont, St James's, the Mater, Blanchardstown and St Bricin's Military Hospital.
Military police were yesterday assisting gardaí in their investigation of the incident. A Defence Forces health and safety investigation will also take place.
The injured soldiers were all junior personnel who were attending a training course in the hope of earning a promotion to corporal.
The crash follows a collision between two similar army vehicles in Co Longford last year in which 14 soldiers were injured. Following a safety audit it was recommended that safety harnesses be fitted to the trucks. To date no harnesses have been fitted to any of the 150 personnel transporter vehicles.
"All these vehicles have to be retro-fitted. The board just recently made the recommendation, and we are in the early stages of procurement, but the trucks will be fitted with restraints over the coming months," a Defence Forces spokesman said.
However, Pdforra wants the vehicles to be removed from use until they have been made safe.
"Our members travel in vehicles which have no safety devices whatsoever and this leaves them vulnerable when these trucks are involved in a collision such as happened today," a spokesman said.
"We ask the military authorities to immediately suspend travel in these trucks until safety devices, which have been promised, are fitted in the best interests of health and safety."
The spokesman for the Defence Forces said that the trucks could not be removed from service.
"It wouldn't be practical. These trucks are used in training and operations on a daily and weekly basis for troop movements as well as moving equipment.
"Some of them are going to Chad, so we couldn't take them out of service."
The northbound lane of the M50 was closed for almost three hours, resulting in a 12km tailback from the scene of the crash to the Red Cow roundabout.
The Old Airport Road, which was used to divert traffic from the M50, became extremely congested at lunchtime with motorists experiencing delays in reaching Dublin airport.
