Cookstown horror crash could happen again

Motorist had a lucky escape after coming off the main Lough Fea Road and crashing into out-building of a family home

Laurence Timoney lives on the Lough Fea Road between Cookstown and Draperstown with his wife Tracey and three young children, aged eight, four and two.

And on Saturday morning at around 10am, a vehicle in which an elderly couple were travelling slipped on snow and careered into the building that holds his heating oil, wood and coal.

But this is not the first time a vehicle has crashed on to Mr Timoney’s land.

In just over ten years he said there have been seven such incidents when vehicles, including a HGV lorry, have come off the road and hit buildings on his land.

“It has been a problem corner this years,” he told the Mail.

“This is the seventh incident on my property now in an eleven year period [and] the fourth time somebody has come in on my property.

“All I want is a barrier put up to protect my family and protect all other road users.

“It’s getting to the point now that somebody is going to be killed or seriously injured, and only for the fact that it was a Q5 jeep somebody probably would have been killed.

“They were just a bit shaken and sore, but thankfully no serious injuries,” he added.

“I want somebody to do something - it’s not going to cost a fortune to put a crash barrier around the corner.”

Cookstown Councillor, Sean Clarke said this issue was brought to his attention some months ago, but added: “I don’t know how long it has been going on, but a number of vehicles have left the road at that point.”

Voicing his concern for the elderly couple involved in Saturday’s smash, he said: “I hope there’s no adverse impacts on those concerned.

“I would have thought that the vehicle that went into [Mr Timoney’s shed] on Saturday was travelling slow, but with the conditions the vehicle didn’t go round the corner, it just went straight on - and in that situation there’s nothing you can do.

“A crash barrier would have saved the vehicle and the sheds - the shed could have come down [and] there could have been youngsters around it.

“It’s not going to go away until there’s something done,” he added.

A DRD spokeswoman said: “Transport NI have arranged to visit the site with local representatives to discuss concerns and to consider any appropriate measures.”