Monday’s crash on M1 near Tamnamore left one woman dead and two injured

The two car crash happened on the M1 motorway close to Junction 14 and Tamnamore just before 7.15pm on Monday night. The deceased was the driver of a blue coloured Volkswagen Bora which was involved in a collision with a silver Volkswagen Golf on the Belfast bound carriageway.

A man and woman who were travelling in the Golf were taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries.

Police investigating the incident are now appealing for information.

Ulster Unionist councillor Walter Cuddy, who lives in Dungannon, close to where the crash happened, said it was “very sad” that it should take place “right in the mouth of Christmas.”

The Mid Ulster representative also praised the patience of drivers using the motorway at the time, and the local emergency services for their haste in attending the scene.

“It was the night before Christmas Eve and the motorway would have been very busy at the time,” he said yesterday. “The emergency services did a great job in making sure they got traffic moving as best they could and getting there as quick as they did and trying to minimise the amount of disruption, on top of dealing with the injuries that were involved.

“I would also praise people’s patience; when there is a fatality, they have to take that bit more time and it is a busy time of the year. So overall it was a difficult time for everybody involved, but we must be thankful for good emergency services, which we do have right across Northern Ireland.”

He added: “It’s obviously very, very sad about the fatality and the injuries. I hope the people who are injured make a full recovery.” The crash was also described as a “tragedy” by MP for the area, Michelle Gildernew. The Sinn Fein representative for Fermanagh Sough Tyrone said: “News of the death of a woman in a crash on the M1 at Tamnamore near Dungannon has shocked and saddened the local area.

“A death on the roads at any time of the year is a tragedy, but it is all the more poignant at Christmas.

“I want to express my condolences to the family and friends of this woman at this sad time.”

Any witnesses are asked to contact local police in Dungannon or the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference number 1826 23/12/19.