Motorist arrested at N-332 accident black spot
By Alex Watkins
AN IRISH couple were run over and killed while they were crossing the N-332 road on Monday night.
The victims were 46-year-old John O’Connell and his wife Mary, aged 45, from Cahirciveen, County Kerry.
The driver of the vehicle was unhurt but tested positively for alcohol and was arrested.
He is a 35-year-old Spaniard, originally from Madrid but resident in Torrevieja.
According to the Regional Supreme Court, he has been charged with imprudent homicide and remanded in custody after the judge set bail at 6,000 euros.
The accident happened at 00.35 hrs between La Zenia and Cabo Roig in Orihuela Costa.
News agency EFE reported that the couple was crossing the road when they were struck.
Irish daily newspapers reported that they were regular visitors and had only arrived in Spain on Saturday for a week’s holiday.
Their parish priest reported that the town was devastated at the loss of this much-loved couple, and praised their community work.
He also revealed that they had no children, and that family members had spoken to them just 15 minutes before the accident.
They had spent the evening at a local Irish bar, where a member of staff said he had been told that the couple had recently renewed their wedding vows to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
“It’s terrible to think they were dancing and enjoying the music just before it happened,” he noted, lamenting how dangerous the N-332 road is.
The area has been an accident black spot for many years due to the number of night-time entertainment venues on both sides of the road and the lack of pedestrian crossings.
CB News recently printed a report by the Spanish Royal Automobile club (RACE), classing the N-332 as the worst road in Spain for pedestrian accidents.
A total of 36 pedestrians were run over on the stretch of the road from La Marina to Mazarrón between 2004 and 2006.
Work is underway to convert the road into a dual carriageway and install extra crossing points and pavements – but it is not due for completion for almost another two years.
awatkins@cbnews.es
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