One dead, teenage girl critical on holiday roads

A 22-year-old Lithuanian national has become the first fatality on Fermanagh’s roads in 2008 and a 19-year-old girl is currently in a critical condition in the Royal Victoria Hospital following two separate road accidents over the St. Patrick’s weekend.

Huberta Zaldokatie died at the scene after the motor cycle, which she had been travelling on as a pillion passenger, crashed into the Ballycassidy bridge on the Kesh Road, on Monday 17 at 3pm.

Her boyfriend, the driver of the blue and white Suzuki motorcycle, who was also from Lithuania, was treated in the Erne hospital for a suspected broken collar bone and shock. He was reported to have been distressed but yesterday (Wednesday) a spokesperson at the Erne described his condition as “stable”.

Ms. Zaldokaite, who was living in ‘The Meadows’ area of Irvinestown, had recently arrived in Fermanagh while her boyfriend has lived and worked locally for over a year. She had just begun part-time work in the Manor House Hotel at the time of her death.

The Ballycassidy bridge was a notorious accident blackspot which was widened at the beginning of 2006.

SDLP Councillor, John O’Kane, who lives in Irvinestown said:
“A death at any time is sad but it is even sadder when the person has come to this country and their family is overseas.

“We must send our sympathies to her family who are so far away and to the local Lithuanian community who knew her.”

Anyone who saw the motorcycle travelling from Kesh towards Enniskillen or saw the impact at Ballycassidy bridge are asked to contact Enniskillen police on 08456008000.

Meanwhile a 19-year-old girl remains “very critically ill” in the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) following a serious single vehicle collision on the Lower Chanterhill Road, Enniskillen, just before 3am on Sunday morning.

Arlene Forbes, from Sycamore Drive, Enniskillen was a back-seat passenger in a maroon Audi A3 which collided with a tree close to the Coa Road.

Two of the occupants had to be freed from the car by Fire and Rescue Service personnel while all three passengers were taken to the Erne hospital. The two male passengers were later released and Arlene was transferred to the RVH.

A police spokesman confirmed that: “A woman remains very critically ill in the RVH in Belfast.”

He added:
“The 25-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of a variety of driving offences and has since been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.”

Police are appealing for anyone with information on this incident to contact them. They believe that the car was travelling out of Enniskillen and would particularly like to speak to a taxi driver who stopped at the scene of the crash.
They would like to hear from a woman motorist who had given a lift to a girl and had been on the road travelling towards Enniskillen at the time of the Audi’s collision.

Police would also like to speak to the driver of a Toyota Celica car who was on the Lower Chanterhill Road just before the collision occurred.

Enniskillen police can be contacted on 08456008000.
 

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