A man who died in a motorbike crash in Limerick on Saturday night was on bail appealing an 11-month jail sentence for leaving the scene of a fatal road accident in which a passenger fell out of his car before being struck by an oncoming vehicle.
Father-of-three Thomas Whelan (25) died after his motorcycle collided with an obstacle in O’Malley Park, Southill, at about 7.40pm on Saturday night, throwing him from the vehicle.
Whelan had addresses at Moyross; Upper Gerald Griffin Street; and O’Malley Park. He had more than 180 previous convictions. He was jailed on July 7th after being found guilty of leaving the scene of a road accident in which his friend Tony O’Brien died.
Mr Whelan was among four people who died in separate incidents on the State’s roads over the weekend, three of which were male motorcyclists and one a six-year-old boy.
Separate crashes
There was a separate crash in Limerick 10 minutes before Mr Whelan's incident. At 7.30pm on Saturday, a Polish man in his 50s was killed after his motorcycle crashed at Quinn's Cross Roundabout, Mungret. He was taken to University Hospital Limerick but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Gardaí said on Sunday that a six-year-old boy had died after he was hit by a van in south Co Dublin on Friday evening. The vehicle was travelling towards Shankill village at the Hazelwood Estate at about 4.45pm. The injured boy was taken to Temple Street hospital, where he has since died. Gardaí said the boy’s family had asked that they do not release the boy’s name.
Also in Dublin on Sunday, a man died and a pillion passenger was injured in a single vehicle crash at 2.20am. The motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, died at the scene on the Old Cabra Road, Dublin 7, while the male passenger in his 40s was taken to the Mater hospital.
93 road deaths
The deaths bring the number of fatalities on Irish roads so far this year to 93, including 11 motorcyclists.
"Summer time is like a death zone for motorcyclists," Road Safety Authority communications manager Brian Farrell said on Sunday.
"May right through to September is when you see the majority of biker fatalities, and it's because a lot of our bikers are fair-weather bikers; they go on a lot more trips at the weekend and unfortunately that can turn to tragedy."
“Obviously there’s a message for drivers to keep an eye out for motorcyclists on the road. When it comes to bikers themselves, what they really need to do is remember that they are vulnerable road users. They need extra protection and that’s why it’s so important they wear proper personal protection equipment.”
There were 187 fatalities on the State’s roads last year, including 22 motorcyclists. July was the most dangerous month for road users in 2016, with 21 fatalities recorded, followed by May and October, when 20 deaths recorded in each month.
Gardaí are appealing for information on the incidents and can be contacted at the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666111.
