‘It happened so fast, Paula wasn’t so lucky’ – Kerry woman relives trauma of sister’s fatal deer crash after near miss on same road

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

A split-second reaction not to swerve might just have saved the life of a Kerry driver after a deer darted across the path of an oncoming bus before colliding into her vehicle, causing extensive damage.

Saturday evening’s incident on the N72 Killorglin-Killarney Road at Ballymalis was a spine-tingling reminder for mother-of-three Gillian Hughes who, 20 years earlier, buried her 23-year-old sister Paula following another deer-related incident on the very same road.

Gillian was travelling almost 20kph below the speed limit but the wild animal, which was killed instantly, still caused significant damage with over €6,500 in repairs now needed.

An inquest revealed that Paula was also well below the speed limit on that fateful night in Fossa in 2006 when she swerved to avoid a deer and her car left the road.

Damage caused by a deer following Saturday night's collision.

For Gillian, Saturday’s incident, which occured just before 9pm on an unlit section of the N72, was a poignant reminder of the dangers deer pose on Kerry’s roads.

“I’ve been left fairly shook after Saturday and it shows just how easily things can happen,” she said.

“A bus was approaching from the other direction and the deer came out of nowhere and struck my car.

“Thankfully, everyone was ok, I struck the deer and didn’t swerve. If I did, I would have hit the bus head-on or went over the ditch.

“It all happened so fast, you don’t have time to think. My priority was keeping the car on the road and avoiding the bus. I’m an animal lover and it broke my heart hitting such a beautiful animal, but my father always reminded me not to swerve and it must have stuck.

“Unfortunately, Paula wasn’t so lucky. Deer were reported in the area shortly before her accident and it highlights the fact that we really need to get on top of this issue before others are killed.

“Paula was an extremely careful driver. It was a freak accident but I’m hearing of more and more deer-related incidents and they’re far beyond Killarney National Park.”

Gillian has been vocal in recent years about the rising dangers of deer on Kerry’s roads and was part of a deputation to Kerry County Council in 2019 asking for measures to address the issue.

Little has changed though, a flashing deer road sign was erected close to where Paula died but the accidents continue.

Indeed, garages in Kerry have revealed they now are witnessing deer collisions on a weekly basis, with dozens of cars written-off during the height of the tourist season.

John Fleming Crash Repairs in Lissivgeen, Killarney, said they scrap one car a week, with the majority involved in deer-related crashes.

While Mr Fleming said he hadn’t come across any life threatening collisions recently, he warned that deer are rampant.

Meanwhile, Vincent Reen of Reen's Garage Test Centre and Body Shop Ltd in Rathmore said his firm also takes in one car a week on average as a result of deer collisions.

The issue was raised this week at Kerry County Council level, with Cllr Tommy Cahill revealing that he had come upon Saturday’s collision just seconds after it happened and he called for emergency measures.

Cllr Cahill said there has been a spike of incidents in Kerry over the last few weeks of deer jumping out onto public roads, particularly as the rutting season approaches.

“I came upon the accident at the weekend halfway between Killarney and Killorglin. I don’t know how someone wasn’t killed, it’s a huge issue going into rutting season,” said Cllr Cahill.

“The only reason I turned around was the blood was fresh on the road…the deer was in half to be honest.”

Paul Neary, Director of Community, Climate Action and Operational Services at Kerry County Council, at Monday’s meeting revealed that a pilot scheme tasked with keeping deer from the county’s roads had been delayed.

The trial proposed was a deterrent system that activates an audible alarm to discourage deer from crossing a road when vehicles are present.

Mr Neary advised that one of the funding bodies had pulled out, freezing progress, but that he hoped the scheme would be up and running again in the new year.

Chief Executive of KCC, Fearghal Reidy, added that the council was liaising with the National Park and Wildlife Service on tackling the issue with traditional fencing.

Cllr Cahill, however, warned that it was only a matter of time before another life is lost on the roads due to a deer collision.

“We do seriously have to expedite that. Every day is another day on the road where lives are simply at risk,” he said.