Man In His 60s Dies After Truck And Car Collide On N81

A man in his 60s has died after a car and a truck collided on the N81 at Athgarvan in Co. Wicklow, yesterday morning. It happened at around 11:15am.

The driver of the car, a man in his 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was taken to the mortuary at Naas General Hospital, where a postmortem will be carried out, and the coroner has been told.

The truck driver, also a man in his 60s, was taken to Tallaght University Hospital.

Gardaí say his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening at this time.

The road was closed for a time while emergency services and Garda investigators worked at the scene. It has since reopened.

Gardaí want to hear from you

Gardaí are asking anyone who saw the collision to come forward.

If you were driving through the area between 10:45am and 11:45am on Monday and have camera footage, dash-cam included, they’d like you to hand it over.

Even if you’re not sure it caught anything, it’s worth letting them decide.

Anyone with information can contact Baltinglass Garda Station on 059 648 2610, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

A road with a reputation

The N81 has a long unwanted record. A Dáil debate in July 2019 heard it described as one of the most dangerous roads in the State, with twice the national average for single-vehicle collisions and seven times the national average for head-on collisions.

Baltinglass Gardaí have dealt with fatal crashes on it before.

One was a collision involving two motorcyclists and a jeep at Poulaphuca, Blessington, in August 2015 amongst other incidents.