Following a fatal hit-and-run that took place in Drogheda, Co Louth on Sunday, a police officer has been temporarily relieved of their duties. The early morning incident resulted in the tragic death of a man in his forties who was discovered unresponsive by emergency services on Rathmullen Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The car in question did not stop at the scene but was eventually located and confiscated by police who are preparing for technical and forensic inspections. It has been revealed that the car is privately owned by a police officer who was off duty at the time of the incident. The officer works in the northwestern region and it is unclear whether they were driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
The matter has drawn the attention of the Garda watchdog (Gsoc) who have opened their own separate enquiry due to a police officer’s involvement in the events. Superintendent is authorised by An Garda Síochána Act 2005, to refer any case to Gsoc involving death or severe injury potentially caused by police actions.
The Commission is appealing to the public for any witness statements and especially any recorded footage of the incident on CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone.
Traffic has been redirected as the area remains closed until further notice.
Anyone possessing any information about this incident is urged to contact the local Drogheda police station on 041-987-4200 or any other police station. Alternatively, they can call the Garda Confidential Line at 1800-666-111.
According to our present calculations based on the most recent statistics released last Thursday, 14th March, this tragic incident marks the 44th road fatality in Ireland this year. In an unfortunate sequence of events, we also lost a pedestrian named Ciarán McArt who was hit by a truck in Donegal on Friday.
In response to these events, the local police launched a road safety enforcement initiative ahead of the bank holiday. This was notably followed by an arrest related to alleged drink-driving at a police checkpoint on Saturday.