Family of four, including seven-year-old, seriously injured after vehicle travels against traffic on M9 in County Kildare.
Five teenage boys have been killed and four other people seriously injured in a head-on collision on a motorway in the Republic of Ireland after one vehicle was driven the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
The crash occurred at approximately 3am on Sunday on the M9 northbound carriageway near Junction 3, close to Moone and Athy in County Kildare. Emergency services were alerted to reports of a vehicle travelling southbound on the northbound lanes between Junctions 3 and 4. The car, a high-powered BMW that police believe may have been stolen, collided head-on with a Hyundai travelling in the correct direction.
Five Teenagers Killed in BMW Crash, Four Others Seriously Injured:
All five male teenagers in the BMW died at the scene. Their bodies were later removed and taken to Naas General Hospital for post-mortem examinations. Reports indicate the occupants were wearing balaclavas or other face coverings at the time of the collision. Some of the teenagers are understood to have been related to one another.
The second vehicle was carrying three women-two sisters in their 30s and another sister in her 20s-and a seven-year-old boy, the son of one of the women. The family, from the Carlow area, was travelling to Dublin Airport to catch a flight to Britain for a relative’s wedding. All four sustained serious injuries.
The female driver and front-seat passenger, both in their 30s, were taken to Tallaght University Hospital and remain in critical condition. The rear-seat passenger in her 20s was treated at St Luke’s General Hospital in a serious condition, while the seven-year-old boy was transferred to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.
Wrong-Way BMW Crash Sparks Investigation and Road Safety Concerns:
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the collision as “horrific.” He noted that the family members “were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.” Kelly also highlighted a worrying pattern of reckless driving, stating that in some cases vehicles are driven on the wrong side of motorways “for social media likes,” regardless of the potentially devastating consequences. He referenced a similar incident on Dublin’s M50 the previous weekend in which nine people were injured.
Gardaí said the BMW had been observed travelling the wrong way on the motorway in two separate stints in the early hours of Sunday. Officers did not pursue the vehicle on either occasion. The force has appointed family liaison officers to support those affected and is appealing for witnesses or motorists with dashcam footage from the M9 between approximately 2am and 3am to come forward.
The circumstances of the crash have been referred to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, for an independent examination. A full forensic collision investigation is under way.
The incident has prompted renewed concern about dangerous driving trends on Irish roads, particularly among young drivers, and the challenges faced by police in responding to vehicles travelling against the flow of traffic at high speed.