Victim of Mayo traffic accident is named locally

A road traffic accident on the N60 at Breaffy on Monday evening, which claimed the life of a 33-year-old man, has triggered growing demands for a reduced speed limit through the village.

The car passenger who died in the two vehicle impact has been named locally as David Henning, a member of a family originally from South Africa which runs a jewellery manufacturing enterprise at Killawalla, Westport.

Friends and neighbours in the Killawalla community have been consoling the Henning family on their immeasurable loss.

As reported yesterday, renewed calls have been made by local elected representatives to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to reduce the speed limit in Breaffy

Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon, along with his party colleague Councillor Cyril Burke and Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne, demanded that the TII take immediate steps to reduce the speed limit through the village to 60 kilometres per hour.

There has been a long-running campaign by the community and elected members of the Castlebar Municipal District for the speed limit to be reduced in view of the number of fatal accidents that have occurred along the N60 at Breaffy over the years.

All three representatives say that in the light of the latest tragedy the case to be made for a 60 km limit is overwhelming.

Mayo County Council and TII have been proposing an 80km per hour speed limit through the village.

In response some time ago to a submission by Breaffy Community Council to the TII seeking a 60km per hour limit, the TII said the 60km/h option would cost approximately €3 million and would slow traffic 'to an inordinate extent.'

TII stated the 80km/h option would cost approximately €1 million and that traffic would be 'slowed to an acceptable extent'.

It had been proposed to start work on the 80km/h option early next year.

Four others were injured in the Breaffy impact but none of the injuries sustained are said to be life threatening.