A woman is in a critical condition and four others, including a four-year-old boy, are in a serious condition following a five vehicle collision on the Cork to Mallow Road.
The collision happpened at about 1.40pm today about a mile south of Rathduff village at Glencaum on the N20 when two cars, two vans and a truck were in collision.
Two vans and a truck were travelling southwards towards Cork when the incident happened. The two vans were in collision with two cars and another truck travelling towards Mallow.
The woman driver of one of the vans, aged in her 30s and believed to be from Galway, was critically injured and was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.
She remains in a critical condition this evening at the hospital while a male passenger in her van, a man in his 30s, is in a serious condition at the hospital.
A four-year-old boy, who was a back seat passenger in a car being driven by his mother, was also seriously injured and was taken to hospital where his condition is serious.
The boy’s mother who is in her 30s, a truck driver in his 50s from Galway and the driver of the other van, a man in his 30s were all taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Meanwhile a man in his 30s from Kanturk travelling in another van had a lucky escape when the engine from one of the cars flew over 60 metres in the air and crashed into his van. The engine hit the door panel causing serious damage to the vehicle but the man emerged from the van unscathed and was treated at the scene for shock.
In all, a total of eight people were involved in the multiple vehicle collision with three being treated for minor injuries and shock at the scene and five being taken to hospital.
One garda attending at the scene said that it was as bad a crash as he had witnessed in over 30 years and it was a miracle that more people were seriously or fatally injured.
Gardaí have closed off the road and put diversions in place to allow a garda forensic crash investigator examine the scene and it is expected the road will remain closed until 8pm.
Supt Con Cadogan of Gurranebraher Garda station said gardaí spoke to a number of people at the scene but are anxious to speak to anyone else who may have witnessed the collision.
Anyone who either witnessed the collision or travelled the road at about 1.40pm and who did not speak to gardai at the scene is asked to contact gardaí at Gurranebraher Garda station on 021-4946200.
