Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to a fatal accident in Co. Monaghan following a collision between a car and a stray horse.
The accident took place last night (Saturday, January 7) on the northbound lane of the N2 at Creevy near Carrickmacross.
The front seat passenger in the car, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other occupants of the car, both adult males, were assessed at the scene by emergency services personnel and did not require hospital treatment.
The horse died in the collision.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision on the northbound lane of the N2 at Creevy, near Carrickmacross, to come forward.
They are also appealing to motorists with camera footage (including dashcam) from the area at the time, to make it available to them.
Separately, An Garda Síochána has confirmed that 16 people lost their lives on Irish roads in the month of December 2022.
An estimated 69% of fatal crashes took place on rural roads last year, according to provisional figures published recently by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The number of road deaths recorded in 2022 increased by 13% compared to 2021 according to data from An Garda Síochána.
The provisional figures show that 155 people died in 149 fatal road collisions in 2022.
An Garda Síochána’s assistant commissioner for roads policing and community engagement, Paula Hilman, said throughout 2023, gardaí will be committed to reversing the trend in deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads.
She has asked “all road users to consider their actions and behaviours on the roads”.
“We all share the road space and therefore there is a shared responsibility for making our roads safer.
“I would ask all road users to work with us to reduce serious injury and fatal road traffic collisions by adhering to the rules of the road and adapting their behaviour to suit road and environmental conditions,” the assistant commissioner added.