Several dead and injured in crash after car drove on wrong side of motorway

Motorway Head-On Collision in Co Kildare Leaves Multiple Dead and Critically Wounded

Traveloasisspot.com – A head-on collision between two vehicles on the M9 motorway in County Kildare has claimed several lives and left others in critical condition, Irish police confirmed early Sunday morning. The crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m. near junction 3, when one car was travelling southbound along the northbound carriageway — effectively driving the wrong way down the highway.

The impact struck a second vehicle that had been travelling lawfully in the opposite direction. Gardaí described the scene as devastating, with wreckage scattered across the carriageway visible well into Sunday morning. Emergency crews were dispatched after being alerted to a vehicle moving in the wrong direction between junctions 3 and 4.

Casualties and Hospital Transfers

A gardaí spokesperson confirmed that multiple fatalities occurred, though no further details on the deceased were available at the time of reporting. Among those transported to hospital from the second vehicle were four occupants:

The female driver and her front-seat passenger, both in their 30s, were airlifted or transferred to Tallaght University Hospital, where both remain in critical condition. A female rear-seat passenger in her 20s was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital and listed as seriously injured. A child, the fourth occupant of that car, was conveyed to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and is likewise in serious condition.

Road Closure and Forensic Response

The M9 between junction 3 and junction 4 was closed in both directions following the collision, with local diversions put in place for motorists. A Garda forensic collision examination is scheduled to take place at the scene, and police have issued a public appeal asking anyone who may have witnessed the event to come forward with information.

Garda Commissioner’s Statement

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly addressed the crash publicly, calling it “horrific” and directing his thoughts toward those injured and their families. He noted that the occupants of the struck vehicle had been travelling innocently when they were hit by a car moving the wrong way down the motorway.

“My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.”

Kelly drew attention to a pattern of wrong-way driving that has become increasingly visible on Irish motorways, linking it explicitly to social media behaviour. He warned that in some documented cases, drivers are deliberately travelling against traffic flow in order to capture footage for online platforms, regardless of the potentially lethal consequences for themselves and other road users.

“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is. That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.”

The Commissioner acknowledged that An Garda Síochána faces a genuinely challenging operational situation when dealing with vehicles travelling at speed in the wrong direction, while simultaneously protecting all other road users. He added his thoughts were also with the gardaí and emergency-service personnel who responded to the scene.

“As always, An Garda Síochána will fully co-operate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.”

Fiosrú Investigation Launched

The incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, following the fatal road-traffic collision. A member of Fiosrú’s on-call investigative team attended the scene, and an independent inquiry is now underway.

In a written statement, Fiosrú explained that its statutory remit covers incidents involving contact with gardaí in which a member of the public has died or been seriously injured. The organisation stressed that a referral does not automatically imply wrongdoing by any individual officer; rather, it triggers an independent examination to determine whether any act or omission by a garda may have contributed to the death or serious harm.

“As the matter is now under investigation, pursuant to section 208(1)(b) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, Fiosrú cannot make any further comment.”

Context: A Repeat Pattern on Irish Motorways

The M9 crash comes just days after a similar wrong-way collision on the M50 in Dublin last weekend left nine people injured. That incident, also involving a vehicle travelling against traffic flow, heightened public concern about the frequency and lethality of such events on Ireland’s major motorway network.

The M9 links Dublin with Limerick and forms part of the primary north–south corridor through the country. Junction 3 sits near the western approaches to the capital, meaning the closure affected commuter and freight traffic heading toward both cities during what would normally be a quiet pre-dawn period. Motorists were advised to allow extra travel time while diversions remained in place.

The convergence of two fatal or near-fatal wrong-way incidents within a single weekend has intensified calls for clearer signage, stronger enforcement measures, and public-awareness campaigns targeting the social-media-driven behaviour that Commissioner Kelly identified as a motivating factor in at least some cases. Until further findings emerge from both the Garda forensic examination and the Fiosrú inquiry, the full circumstances surrounding Sunday’s collision remain under active investigation.