Northern Ireland

Co Wicklow pensioner dies after Co Down crash while baby remains critically ill

A woman in her 70s has died following a two-vehicle collision between Scarva and Banbridge in Co Down.
A woman in her 70s has died following a two-vehicle collision between Scarva and Banbridge in Co Down. A woman in her 70s has died following a two-vehicle collision between Scarva and Banbridge in Co Down.

A WOMAN in her seventies from Co Wicklow has died following a weekend road crash in Co Down.

The collision involving a black Seat Leon and a black Nissan Note happened on Scarva Road between Banbridge and Scarva at about 11.30am on Saturday.

The woman, who was a rear seat passenger in the Nissan, died yesterday in hospital.

Another woman, aged in her eighties, was also injured and last night remained in hospital in a serious condition.

Police have appealed for anyone who saw the crash to contact them.

Meanwhile, a baby last night remained in a critical condition following another road crash in Co Down which claimed the life of the child's mother.

Police renewed an appeal for witnesses to the collision on the A2 Belfast to Bangor road on Friday, describing it as "a testing scene for all involved".

The crash happened on a stretch near the Ballyrobert junction shortly before 4pm.

The woman and her baby were travelling in one car, while a man driving a second vehicle was also injured and taken to hospital.

The name of the woman had last night not yet been released by police.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children said the baby remained in a "critical" condition.

In a post on the PSNI Bangor Facebook page, a spokesman appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"Tragically as a result of the collision a passenger in one of the vehicles died at the scene and a young baby remains in critical condition at Belfast RVH," a spokesman said.

"We are already aware and have spoken to several people who witnessed the collision but I believe there may well be further persons who saw what happened but were unable to stop given the heavy flow of traffic.

"Should you feel you saw anything either before or after the collision please call us."

The spokesman added: "On a personal note myself and the rest of the officers wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family.

"This was a testing scene for all involved including witnesses and the emergency services that attended.

"When something like this happens we get to see the huge effort on part of our emergency services from first responder paramedics, helicopter crew, fire and rescue service and casualty trauma doctor who all came to the scene and fought hard to save lives.

"As police officers at this critical stage in an incident we can only admire and respect the professionalism of these people and do our little bit in keeping them all safe to carry out this life saving work.

"Please be careful on our roads in the days and weeks ahead, the consequences truly are life changing."