Driver escapes injury after truck leaves road in Clare

Pat Flynn

The driver of an articulated lorry escaped injury after his vehicle left a busy road in Co Clare early on Wednesday morning.

The incident occurred at around 7.15am on the main Ennis to Kilrush N68 road at Caherea close to the local national school. The delivery truck was driving towards Ennis when the collision occurred. It’s understood that the driver had earlier completed a delivery in Kilrush in West Clare.

The truck mounted and travelled along the soft margin for a short distance before jack-knifing into a small stream. The driver managed to escape from the vehicle through the passenger door.

Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics and gardaí. The driver was assessed at the scene by paramedics but was found to have been shaken but uninjured.

The road was fully closed for a time to ensure the safety of emergency services as they dealt with the incident. Fire crews later implemented an emergency traffic management plan which saw one lane reopened. The Ennis-bound lane remains closed as of 10.15am.

Clare County Council staff also attended the scene to help clear the road of a large amount of debris.

It is expected that heavy duty cranes will have to be used to remove the truck from the scene. The N68 is likely to be closed for a time again while that operation takes place.