Popular Co Tyrone singer Malachi Cush has been seriously injured after being struck by a car.
The 38-year-old and another man were rushed to hospital after a collision in Dungannon at around 10.30am yesterday.
The Donaghmore man was taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) while a second man, believed to be aged in his 50s, was taken to Craigavon Area Hospital.
A spokesman for the RVH last night said Mr Cush was in stable condition while a spokeswoman for Craigavon Area Hospital said the other victim was also stable.
Police said both men sustained “a number of injuries” after a Volvo car collided with a parked Volkswagen Touareg, striking both men.
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Details of the Volvo’s movements in the minutes before the collision were unclear last night.
A PSNI spokesman said “the investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances of this incident.
“There have been no arrests in relation to the investigation,” he said.
Sergeant David Cochrane said: “We are looking into the cause of the collision and would be keen to hear from anyone who was in the area and saw what happened or who may have captured dashcam footage.”
An eyewitness, who arrived in the aftermath of the accident, said the men were helped by an off-duty paramedic.
He said several female passer-by also assisted the injured men.
“It was calm,” he said.
“I have to give those girls their dues, who were attending them, they had them in the recovery position and were comforting them and talking to them.
“I was impressed, there was no sign of panic.”
Broadcaster Eamonn Mallie, who has worked closely with Mr Cush in the past, spoke of his shock last night.
He said that Mr Cush posted his version of the ballad Raglan Road on his Twitter feed just yesterday morning.
“I love that song and I thanked him for starting our day on the right note and the next thing he was in hospital,” he said.
A spokesman for the Ambulance Service last night said the Air Ambulance attended the scene but that both patients were taken to hospital by road.
Two rapid response and two emergency crews also attended.
A native of Donaghmore, Mr Cush comes from a large musical family and his mother is a first cousin of country music star Philomena Begley.
Mr Cush broke onto the entertainment scene in 2002 when he appeared on the first series of Fame Academy.
As well as releasing several albums he enjoys a successful broadcasting career.
