LAST UPDATE | 7 Sep

A YOUNG WOMAN killed in a road crash in Co Donegal has been named locally as Donna McDermott from the coastal village of Greencastle.

She is the fifth person to die on Donegal’s roads in just 13 days.

She was killed when the car, in which she was a back-seat passenger, collided with another vehicle at Carrowkeel, Quigley’s Point at around 11.15pm.

She previously worked in the local Centra Store in nearby Moville, was in her 30s and was a very well-liked person locally.

It is understood the car was being driven by her mother at the time of the collision.

The mother, who is in her 70s, and another male passenger aged in his 50s, were both rushed to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the other car, a young man in his late teens, was not injured in the crash.

It is understood that he has already been interviewed by gardaí investigating the cause of the collision.

The latest tragedy brings to five the number of people who have been killed on Donegal’s roads in less than two weeks.

Road deaths increasing

The 13 recent road deaths in the county is an increase on last year, which saw 10 people lose their lives over the course of the whole of 2023.

The road at Carrowkeel remains closed today as gardaí continue their investigations into the tragic crash with local diversions in place.

Anyone with information in relation to the crash, or dashcam footage of the incident, has been asked to contact Gardaí.

The latest crash marks another sad chapter for road safety in Donegal.

The dead include cousins Kian (16) and Eoghan (20) Dawson, Elizabeth Cave (87) and Patricia McBrearty (80s) who have all perished in recent days.

Outgoing chairperson of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee and Donegal County Councillor, Gerry McMonagle, has said Donegal is a special case because of its isolation and proximity to the border and must be treated as such.

He firstly extended his sympathy to the latest road victim’s family and to all those who have died recently.

He said “Donegal has had more than its fair share of tragedy in recent years and again in recent weeks.

“This is another one of those dark days and all we can do is to think of this young young woman and her family and all those touched by tragedy on our roads in recent days.”

However Councillor McGonagle said people must continue to remain vigilant at all times on Donegal’s roads which he said “must be treated as a special case.”

“The reality is that Donegal is a very rural county which has a higher-than normal volume of traffic because of its proximity to the border.

“There is no public transport as such because there is no railway and the bus services are hit and miss at best. People use cars a lot in Donegal and again the reality is that Donegal is a vast web of secondary roads.

“But having said, people must continue to exercise caution when on these roads. They should never drink and drive, they should always observe the speed limit and that does not mean driving at eighty kilometres per hour if the speed limit is eighty kilometres per hour.

“We must continue to educate our young people about the dangers of the roads in our schools because it is all we can do.

“We have to continue to hit home with the message that all these factors can lead to tragedy on our roads.”