Sister of motorcyclist killed on M50 searching for members of the public who helped him

Sarah Slater

The sister of a prison officer killed on the M50 when his motorbike was involved in collision with a truck last Friday has thanked those who helped him at the scene “so he wasn’t alone” when he died.

Derek Martin (42) was a prison officer at Wheatfield prison in Dublin and was involved in raising money for the Irish Cancer Society when he was involved in creating a fundraising calendar which was a huge success in 2013. Mr Martin joined the prison service in 2007 and was from the Ballymun area of Dublin.

The incident involving a lorry and a motorcycle happened shortly after 10am on the northbound carriageway of the M50 between Junction 7 (N4 Liffey Valley) and Junction 6 (N3 Castleknock).

The driver of the lorry, a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital for assessment.

In a social media post on X, Mr Martin’s sister Helen Martin, who is a nurse,  explained that she was informed that immediately in the aftermath of the collision, ” several cars stopped and people sat around him until the ambulance came so he wasn’t alone.

Ms Martin added that she “really wants to find” the members of the public who stayed with her brother at the accident site and requested people to share her post.

The M50 reopened following the collision which resulted in a section of the motorway being closed for almost seven hours. As a result of the accident traffic was impacted throughout the city and remained extremely heavy throughout the day.

At the time of his fundraising drive, organised by Mr Martin spoke to the media.

"A few of the lads who took part have been touched personally by cancer and just wanted to raise awareness and much needed funds."

According to Mr Martin at the time, what started out as an 'in-house' fundraising idea took on a life of its own. Thousands of the calendars featuring the prison officers were sold such was their popularity.

Mr Martin’s funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.