Joe Marroquin from Texas was killed and his wife, Cathy, was seriously injured in the crash
Joe Marroquin and his wife Cathy were visiting family in Whitehall, County Westmeath, before the accident happened on July 3, Irish Central reports.
Joe was the fourth victim of road crashes this week in Ireland when he was killed in a two-vehicle collision on the Castlepollard to Mullingar road, in Westmeath, on Wednesday.
Joe and Cathy both have Irish ancestry and the couple were travelling back to Dublin Airport when the accident occurred at roughly 5.30 am.
They pair were due to fly home to Texas later that day.
Joe was pronounced dead at the scene, with his wife found in “critical condition”. She is being treated at the Midlands Regional Hospital, in Tullamore.
Two men in the second vehicle, aged in their 30s and 20s, were taken to hospitals in Mullingar and Tullamore.
Both have serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday evening, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said these incidents “once again clearly demonstrate the tragedy that can befall anyone of us.
“No person wakes up and goes out on our roads to cause or be involved in a traffic collision, in particular, no person intends to cause someone’s death or be fatally injured.”
He continued by appealing “to all road users, in whatever way you use the road, to exercise extreme caution and stay safe, in particular to all drivers please slow down and protect everyone on our roads.”
Former TD and Senator, Donie Cassidy, said the accident was “a tragedy.”
He added that everyone “is in shock in the area. Accidents just unfortunately happen. A lovely family home from America.
“They were at the bingo in Streete on Monday night, and were heading to the airport looking forward to going back to their own family.”
The accident was the second fatal crash in the area in the space of just 24 hours.
Marcin Nowosielski
A car was found in a ditch just along the R395 at Teeveragh near Castlepollard at 6.30pm on Tuesday.
Marcin Nowosielski (47), who had last been seen socialising on Saturday night, was found deceased in the driver’s seat of a Nissan Almera.
He had been reported missing by friends who became concerned for his well-being.
Originally from Poland, Mr Nowosielski, a factory worker, had been living in Ireland for the past 13 years.
It is believed his car crashed off the road on Sunday morning where it remained for 36 hours.
Gardaí appealed to anyone with information about his movements to contact Mullingar Garda station.
“Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information on the movements of Marcin Nowosielski or his car, a black Nissan Almera with registration 02 CE 3568, since the early hours of 30th June 2024, to come forward,” a garda statement said.
In tributes on social media, Mr Nowosielski has been described as a “much-loved friend” who “always had a smile on his face”.
He was also described as a “massive football fan” who supported Liverpool FC and his home team of Raków Częstochowa.
An GoFundMe for his family in Poland has raised €3,000.
