A young Co Louth woman has been killed in a Caribbean island crash in which Mr Conor Haughey, son of the former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, received four broken ribs.
Two other Irishmen were injured in the crash in the British Virgin Islands which happened when the open-top jeep in which they were travelling went out of control, throwing the four occupants out of the vehicle. The woman who died was Ms Denise Hale (22), from Blackrock, Co Louth.
The four people involved were part of a five-person crew who had completed a difficult six-week voyage to the islands, where they delivered a yacht to a local charter company. They had only just arrived in the area when the crash happened, on Tortola Island on Thursday.
Mr Haughey (39) said from his hospital bed yesterday that something had gone wrong with the brakes of the vehicle. "We just gained momentum going down this very steep mountain road. The jeep flipped over two or three times and I was thrown from the car."
Mr Haughey was detained last night at the People's Hospital in Roadtown, Tortola, while his two travelling companions were expected to be released after treatment. One of the group, Mr Paul McDonnell (24), is also from Blackrock.
Ms Hale had recently completed a three-month sailing course on the Isle of Wight. News of her death was "devastating", said Mr Nicholas Lynch, manager of the Londis shop in Blackrock where Ms Hale was employed for a time.
She is survived by her parents, Tim and Mary, and an elder sister, Elizabeth, who said Mr Charles Haughey had telephoned the family and expressed his sympathy on the tragedy. He said he had met Denise only once but she had a great personality and had left a lasting impression.
The yacht on which the crew left Kinsale, Co Cork, six weeks ago yesterday was skippered by Mr Peter Cronin, who was the only one of the crew not on board the jeep when it crashed. Mr Haughey's brother, Mr Sean Haughey TD, said the crew had been assembled by Mr Cronin and not all of the members knew each other before the voyage.