New father dies after tragic road collision

Car accident victim passes away in hospital

Neill O’Neill

THE man who was involved in a serious collision is Islandeady last week has died in Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital. Slawomir (Slawek) Gostomski (pictured), a Polish national who had been living in Westport for eight years, suffered severe head injuries in the accident, which happened around 8pm on Saturday, April 5, when his car struck another vehicle and the Halfway public house. Emergency services raced him to Mayo General Hospital, and he was quickly transferred to Beaumont’s intensive care unit.
He never woke up after the impact, and last Saturday evening, one week after the accident, he passed away surrounded by family and loved ones.
Tragically, Slawomir was returning from hospital at the time of the accident, as his wife Violet had given birth to their daughter, since named Roxanne, earlier that day. The couple also have a 20 month-old son, Simon.
It is understood that his remains will be repatriated to Poland for burial, and a remembrance service will take place in Westport at a later date.
Slawek was a well-known former staff member at Ashlawn (Maxol Filling Station) on the Newport Road in Westport, and a much valued and very active member of Westport Squash Club.
A tournament in which his team had reached the final went ahead as a fundraiser for Slawek’s young family last Thursday, and was a success. A bank account has been opened in Bank of Ireland in Westport (account number 66323881, sort code 90-39-98) and further fundraising events are expected to follow.