Two men in hospital after Garda chase crash

CRASH SCENE Two men are still in hospital today (Tuesday) as a result of injuries sustained following a car crash involving this car at Belmount, Milltown, near the Galway/Mayo border on Thursday night last. Gardaí say that the car was ‘acting suspiciously’ in the Hollymount area and it drove off ‘at speed’ when Gardaí approached it near the south Mayo village.?Pic: Andy Newman

Two men remain in hospital after crash near Mayo border


Car involved was ‘acting suspiciously’ in Hollymount area

Edwin McGreal
edwinmcgreal@mayonews.ie

Two men are still in hospital today (Tuesday) as a result of injuries sustained following a car crash near the Galway/Mayo border on Thursday night last.
The men, believed to be from the Dublin area, were back seat passengers in a blue Volvo car which crashed at Belmount, Milltown, just over the Galway/Mayo border. Gardaí say that the car was ‘acting suspiciously’ in the Hollymount area on Thursday night and drove off ‘at speed’ when Gardaí approached it near the village of Hollymount.
The driver and front-seat passenger fled the scene of the accident and are still at large, despite an intensive Garda search, involving officers from Mayo and Galway and the Garda helicopter.
The two men in the back seat were unable to free themselves due to their injuries. One is believed to have a broken pelvis while another has suspected head injuries. The injuries are described as ‘serious but not life threatening’ by Gardaí. They were arrested before being brought to University Hospital Galway, where they remain.
The crash took place at approximately 9pm on Thursday and the blue Volvo had false number plates. Gardaí were not in direct pursuit of the Volvo at the time of the crash. They had lost sight of the vehicle but were searching for the car and came upon the crash.
A Garda spokesperson said that they were paying ‘particular attention’ to suspicious activity over the last weekend. One burglary was reported in the South Mayo area over the weekend. However Gardaí believe that that incident, at a house in Hollymount, had taken place the previous weekend as the house was vacant for over a week. A small amount of jewellery was taken in that incident.
Gardaí suspect that that particular theft is linked to a series of burglaries which resulted in an overnight chase in Mayo last weekend involving dozens of garda cars. Gardaí were pursuing a criminal gang suspected of carrying out a number of burglaries in Mayo, Galway and Sligo.
Gardaí are still asking people to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious to their local garda station. They are also appealing to anyone who sees a silver saloon, believed to be a 2004-2007 model Subaru Legacy, to contact them. That car was involved in the chase last weekend and managed to evade Garda capture.
Meanwhile there were two burglaries in Westport over the last week. On Thursday last a house in Carrabawn, outside Westport, was broken into between the hours of 9.30am and 5.45pm. The back door was kicked in and the house was ransacked. Nothing substantial was taken.
At Kings’ Hill on Saturday a house was broken into and a small quantity of cash was stolen.
Gardaí have appealed to people to ensure all windows and doors are locked when they are leaving their homes, and also to lock all entrances at night time.

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