AN IRISH backpacker has been killed in the northern Queensland city of Cairns, in Australia.
Donal Bolton (23) was sitting with his girlfriend on a bench in the town centre on Tuesday afternoon when an out-of-control car suddenly crashed into them.
Mr Bolton was killed and his girlfriend was injured.
The couple had just arrived in Cairns the night before and stayed at a backpackers’ hostel.
Cairns police said Mr Bolton’s family in Offaly has been notified of his death.
Senior sergeant Tony Anderson said Mr Bolton’s girlfriend is very distressed. “She’s got out of it quite well, with just a few bumps and bruises, but she’s obviously very distraught,” he said.
Renee Peressini, who witnessed the incident, told a Queensland news website the car “came out of nowhere”. “It was just so surreal. When you’re in the mall something like this is the last thing on your mind,” she said.
Ms Peressini immediately called the emergency services. Mr Bolton was still conscious, while his girlfriend lay on the grass with a leg injury. She said the car became airborne before hitting the couple.
“It just came flying through the mall. The car was airborne as it crashed over a stage area,” Ms Peressini said.
She said she and another witness approached the driver, a local 33-year-old man, while others rushed to the couple’s aid.Paramedics worked to try to revive Mr Bolton, but he died at the scene.
His girlfriend was treated for a leg injury and was taken to Cairns Base Hospital in a stable condition. The driver, who suffered chest injuries, was also taken to the hospital.
It is believed he may have suffered a seizure or collapsed behind the wheel before he lost control on a pedestrian zone and crashed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said consular staff were liaising with the Bolton family and also providing assistance to the dead man’s girlfriend.
Msgr Tom Coonan, local priest in the Ballinagar area of Offaly, said the family was in deep shock: “It’s very sad, it’s a huge tragedy.”
He said they had been left devastated by their youngest son’s death, just weeks before he was due home from a year’s travelling.
Mr Bolton’s father Hughie was a member of the 1982 All-Ireland winning Offaly football team which defeated Kerry in the final.
