Car crashed through wall narrowly missing house in Laois

A Council meeting was told someone will be killed if action isn’t taken to improve safety on a road where a car crashed through a wall and into a garden last Friday. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said a car collided with “an EirGrid pole and then through a wall and landed six inches from a house” between Maganey and Barrowhouse at Tankardstown. 

Cllr Moran said she had requested a speed van at the location but it was placed at the other end of the road. She said there was an urgent need for some action to be taken. 

“Where I asked for it(speed van) to be put up was where the accidents keep happening,” she said. 

“The speed van was to be there to catch the people coming over the hill. They put the speed van down the other end of the road and all it did was catch all the locals who thought they were in an 80km zone,” said Cllr Moran. 

She said signage, new markings on the road, a crash barrier,  speed ramps and reducing the approach to a 30km zone should be considered on the road. “Ramps are probably the only thing that are going to work on it,” she said. 

“Someone is going to be killed and that is the third accident on that house,” said Cllr Moran. She said there are a number of children living in the house.  

READ ALSO: Family in 'fear' after car crashes into house where children play

“He has five kids. The two younger children are always going around that house on little go-carts,” she said. 

“We can slow the traffic down with signage, markings on the road and if necessary, a permanent speed camera there,” she continued. 

Cllr Moran said there were four or five houses along the stretch of road which she deemed “deadly dangerous”. She also asked to meet Council engineers at the location.  

Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fleming said “I was at that scene and it was fairly serious indeed”. He said he wouldn’t go into details but “the driver wasn’t injured, or the family”. 

Cllr Fleming said “thank god nothing serious happened” as the children have a track around the house. He too asked for something to be done to slow down the traffic. 

Senior Executive Engineer Tom Drennan said he couldn’t comment on the recent crash but he confirmed the emergency service had contacted the Council in relation to it. “Certainly, we will take a look at it. We will meet on site and have a look,” he said. 

The issue was discussed at the latest meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.