Motorist whose car was written off in accident on Wexford road told guards don’t attend scene ‘unless there’s a fatality’
Wexford PeopleA motorist involved in a collision which saw two cars “written off” was informed by Gardaí that they don’t call out to incidents unless there’s a fatality. The incident happened on a rural road in the Ferns area of Co Wexford and, although no-one was seriously hurt, has led to questions being asked about Garda protocol.
Some of those questions were aired at the recent meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD) where Councillor Paddy Kavanagh expressed his surprise at the gardaí’s response.
“One of the drivers rang the guards and was told they don’t call out to accidents unless there’s a fatality,” he said. “Is this standard procedure? It’s pretty serious if so.”
As someone who served as a guard for over 30 years before entering politics in 2014, Cllr Joe Sullivan was well-placed to outline standard procedures for road traffic accidents.
“In the old days, there were three times you had to go to an accident: if there was an offence disclosed, such as speeding or drink-driving, if there were injuries, or if a state vehicle was involved,” he said.
“That was the old rules I don’t know what they are now.”
After Cllr Kavanagh confirmed the incident occurred on a minor road and had not caused a significant obstacle to other road users, director of services Eamonn Hore said perhaps this was why the guards had decided not to attend the scene.
“If it’s material damage and it’s not causing a road hazard then they tend to leave it to the people involved,” he said.