A 25-year old woman suffered fatal injuries in the early hours of Monday morning when the vehicle she was travelling in struck a tree at Carnalough, close to Louth Village. The woman named locally as Kate Keenan from Knockbridge was travelling as a passenger in a van which struck a tree at approximately 1:50am during Storm Isha which battered the country on Sunday evening.
Many tributes were paid online to Kate from friends reflecting how popular she was and the sense of grief that has decended on the local community. A statement from the Gardaí confirmed a woman in her 20’s had died at the scene of the crash and that a second passenger was being treated in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
“Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of a fatal road traffic incident that occurred at Carnalogue in Co.Louth during the early hours of Monday morning, 22nd January 2024.
“The incident occurred at approximately 1.50am when a van collided with a tree. A passenger in the van, a woman aged in her 20s, received fatal injuries and was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
“A second passenger, a man in his 20s, was treated at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. No other injuries were reported.
“The woman’s body remains at the scene this morning and a technical examination will be carried out by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators later today. Local diversions are currently in place.
“Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them.
“Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and who were travelling in the area at the time, are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ardee Garda Station on 041 685 3222, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station,” read thr statement.
Meanwhile Louth County Council stated that a number of trees were blown down during Storm Isha during the worst of the winds on Sunday evening.
“Louth County Council responded to reports of 52 trees fallen across the county as Storm Isha tracked across the region on Sunday 21st January 2024.
“Outdoor staff were deployed as storm conditions took hold on Sunday evening, with over 30 calls were made to Louth County Council’s out of hours call management centre.
“Crews responded to incidents across the county, cutting and removing fallen trees to make roads passable and footpaths safe.
“Around 16 of these incidents were in the South Louth area, with trees down in a number of areas including Drogheda, Collon, Monasterboice, Dunleer. Crews also removed two large trees which had fully blocked the road between Togher and Annagassan.
“There were a significant number of incidents reported, including trees down, in the Dundalk and north Louth area, including: North Commons, Carlingford, Bush, Ravensdale, at locations along the N53, and a large tree which blocked the Knockbridge Road.
“A section of the roof at the rear of the Louth County Hospital, which was reported damaged by high winds, was checked by crews to determine that no debris had fallen on to the road.
“Louth County Council would like to acknowledge the assistance of farmers who helped with machinery and tractors in the removal of fallen trees in a number of areas across the county,” concluded the statement.
