Woman, 20s, hospitalised following hit-and-run incident in Limerick

Gardaí are appealing for information after a young female pedestrian was seriously injured in a hit-and-run road traffic collision in Rathkeale, Co Limerick on Saturday.

The injured young woman in her 20s is believed to be a young mother from the town.

Reliable sources confirmed that the woman had been positioned behind a set of gates at the entrance to a private yard in the town when a silver Ford Transit van allegedly struck the gates, seriously injuring the woman.

Gardaí are searching for the driver and the vehicle after the van failed to remain at the scene.

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The woman was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick, where she was in a “critical condition”, gardaí said.

Gardaí cordoned off the scene of the hit and run as a major Garda investigation continued into the circumstances of the incident, as well as trying to trace the movements of the van.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that gardaí had responded “at the scene of a serious incident involving a vehicle that occurred at the entrance of a private property in Rathkeale, Co Limerick at approximately 12:15pm this afternoon”.

“A female pedestrian, aged in her 20s, was injured in the incident and has been conveyed to University Hospital Limerick, where she is currently in a critical condition,” the spokesman said.

“The vehicle, a silver Ford Transit van failed to remain at the scene. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this incident to come forward. Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were in the area between 11:30am and 1:00pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí,” he added.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale Garda Station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

Local Fine Gael Councillor Adam Teskey said the town was in “shock” and that the local community was praying for the injured woman.

“There is a profound sad numbness in the area, and our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman and her family,” Cllr Teskey said. “A serious incident occurred in our town and our full support is with An Garda Siochana and the emergency services.”

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