Hundreds of thousands of euros have been raised for three sisters injured in a motorway collision following what has been described as an “incredibly difficult and frightening” ordeal.
In a GoFundMe campaign launched this week, fundraiser organiser Bryan Curley stated that the victims are facing a “long and challenging road ahead.”
Curley, who set up the page to support the young women, explained the background to the appeal and asked for the public’s backing.
“Hi my name is Bryan and I’m setting up this fundraiser for my best friend Ella and her sisters, Niamh and Alma, who were recently involved in a serious road traffic accident,” Curley said.
“This has been an incredibly difficult and frightening time for Ella, Niamh, Alma and their family.”
He added that the sisters would need ongoing support and well wishes.
“They are facing a long and challenging road ahead, and right now, I ask that you keep them all in your thoughts & prayers,” he continued.
“All funds going directly to the family.”
At the time of writing this article, the campaign had already reached over €200,000 of its €350,000 target.
This total was drawn from approximately 7,500 individual donations, with the highest single contribution being an anonymous donation of €2,000.
The sisters, Ella Hendricken alongside Niamh and Alma Kinsella, come from a family based in Graiguecullen, County Carlow.
They were travelling to Dublin Airport to attend a family wedding when the incident occurred at around 3:00 am on Sunday.
A deadly head-on collision took place on the M9 motorway in County Kildare when a BMW carrying five teenagers travelled in the wrong direction and struck the victims’ vehicle.
Police suspect the BMW was connected to a break-in that happened prior to the accident.
Niamh and Alma Kinsella are currently in critical condition at Tallaght Hospital, while Ella Hendricken is receiving care for severe injuries at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
A seven-year-old boy was also among the victims in the sisters’ car.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly strongly criticised the trend of driving against traffic, referring to the crash as “horrific.”
Kelly noted that “in some cases,” people are driving against traffic on motorways for social media clout.
Dangerous driving in public areas is already classified as a crime under current legislation.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has discussed creating a distinct criminal charge specifically for driving against motorway traffic with Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien.
Speaking about the proposed new law, the Justice Minister said that the government would have to consider legislative action.
“We will have to consider the introduction of a separate offence in respect of individuals who make a deliberate decision to drive their vehicles the wrong way down a motorway,” O’Callaghan said.