A group of French tourists were still in shock yesterday after a horrific crash in west Dublin late on Wednesday night that killed two female members of the group as they walked along a pavement. Mark Roddenand Conor Lallyreport.
French nationals Martine Talon and Martine Liotard, both 53, died after they were struck by a car on the Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot shortly before 11pm on Wednesday.
A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene of the crash and could appear in court as early as this morning to face charges.
The man was arrested for dangerous driving and was breathalysed.
He is being held at Ballyfermot Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Senior Garda sources told The Irish Times last night that they are trying to trace the origins of the car. While they do not believe it was stolen, they are investigating whether it was registered, taxed and insured in the normal manner.
The victims, who were from La Drôme, in the southeast of France, were part of a group of 57 work colleagues that had arrived in Ireland on Wednesday.
They had checked into the Best Western-Sheldon Park Hotel on the Naas Road that evening and were in Ireland for a short holiday.
Ms Talon and Ms Liotard had decided to go for a walk in the area with another of the group when they were fatally injured.
It is understood that they were walking on the footpath when the car, which was travelling in the direction of Ballyfermot, crashed into them.
Emergency services were called but both women were pronounced dead at the scene.
The car missed the third woman, who escaped unharmed. She is said to be deeply traumatised by the event.
Gardaí arrived shortly after the incident and the area was preserved overnight. The State Pathologist also attended the scene.
At a media briefing yesterday, Supt John Harnett of Ballyfermot Garda station confirmed that it was a single-vehicle incident.
He said two witnesses had already come forward but appealed for anyone who was in the vicinity of the Kylemore Road, the Naas Road or Citywest between 10.30pm and 11pm on Wednesday to contact gardaí.
"We have some reports of a large silver car . . . driving in a dangerous manner or erratically," he said.
Jackie Cosgrave, manager of the Sheldon Park Hotel, told RTÉ radio that one of the deceased had three children and the other had one child.
She said that following the deaths the group had cancelled a planned trip to Galway and many were instead making arrangements to return home.
A local priest was at the hotel yesterday to help those still suffering from shock at the news, while a Garda liaison officer was also offering support.
The French embassy said that they were liaising with gardaí and the victims' relatives.
After the incident, a section of the Kylemore Road was closed from Landen Road to Bluebell Avenue to both traffic and pedestrians and diversions remained in place until it was reopened at 2pm yesterday.
Gardaí at Ballyfermot have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them on 01-666 7200.