Teenager killed in Donegal rally crash named by Gardai
Tributes have been paid to a “deeply valued” schoolboy who was killed when spectating the Donegal International Rally on Saturday.
The event was cancelled after Tadhg Callaghan Carter, 15, was killed and two others were injured at location 15 on special stage 12 Gartan.
Gardai say that shortly before 5pm, they and other emergency services were alerted after a number of onlookers were injured “in an incident involving a participating car” at Trentagh, near Kilmacrennan.
Tadhg was taken by ambulance from the scene to Letterkenny University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Two other spectators are receiving hospital treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Tadhg had just finished his Junior Cert examinations and his school Saint Eunan’s College in Letterkenny paid tribute to “a deeply valued and popular member” of their school community.
Saint Eunan’s College has vowed to “come together to support one another” in the wake of tragedy, with the school opening on Monday to “support students, parents, staff and the whole school community”.
Glenswilly GAA in Co Donegal also offered their sympathies on the loss of “a much-loved son, family member, friend, teammate, and clubmate”.
Gardai said the local coroner has been notified, a post-mortem examination will be arranged and that the scene has been preserved for a technical examination.
It is understood the crash happened when a competing car left the road at a left-hand bend.
In a statement on Saturday, Motorsport Ireland and Donegal Motor Club said they cancelled the remainder of the event “as a mark of respect”.
They said they were “deeply saddened” by what had happened and expressed “deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased and ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time”.
Motorsport Ireland said that as the country’s governing body for four-wheeled motorsport, it, along with Gardai, has begun “a full investigation into the circumstances of the accident”.
Both the organisation and the Gardai say they are aware video footage of the accident is circulating on social media and have asked the public not to share it.
The three-day event bills itself as “one of the toughest rally challenges there is for drivers and teams”.
Participants compete in 20 stages around the north-west coast of the county .
Organisers say it attracts more than 70,000 spectators and almost 400,000 view the rally on TV and online.