“Kian was the most genuine, well mannered and unassuming young lad you could meet. He was a credit to Don Boscos but more importantly to his mum and dad, Fiona and Emmett.” Kian Dawson died in a tragic crash in Donegal Garda at the scene of the fatal accident in North Donegal.
(North West Newspix) A football club has paid tribute to a teenage boy who was killed in a crash in Co Donegal on Saturday night. Kian Dawson was out for a cross-border drive with his friend when tragedy struck. Another occupant of the vehicle, a man in his 20s, was receiving treatment for serious injuries.
Three people were also hospitalised in a second crash in Donegal within hours of the teenager’s death. The victim of the first collision, named locally as Kian Dawson, aged 16, had come from neighbouring Derry earlier in the evening along with his friend. Football-mad Kian, from Carnhill in the city, was a front-seat passenger in the car which crashed at Cross, Quigley's Point at 11.
15pm on Saturday. In a post on social media, Don Boscos Football Club described the teenager as “the most genuine, well mannered and unassuming young lad you could meet.” “We awoke this morning to the sad news that young Kian Dawson, a player in our 2007 group since the age of 5, had sadly passed after a road traffic accident last night in Donegal,” the club said.
“Kian and his father Emmett (a coach with our 2007s) have been an integral part of our club for many years, and have given us many wonderful and happy memories that we will cherish forever. “Kian was the most genuine, well mannered and unassuming young lad you could meet. He was a credit to Don Boscos but more importantly to his mum and dad, Fiona and Emmett.
“Kian will be forever remembered by his coaches, team mates and friends at Don Boscos. We are also thinking of you all at this heartbreaking time. “Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam.
” Garda at the scene of the fatal accident in North Donegal. (North West Newspix) As a mark of respect, the club suspended all activities for the coming week. The car appears to have gone out of control before striking a wall and ending up in a field.
It appears the car suffered a major side impact during the collision. Kian died at the scene and the driver of the car suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for emergency treatment. The car in which the young men were travelling was fitted with R plates, which much be displayed when a driver has recently passed their test.
Garda Forensic Collision Investigators arrived at the scene on Sunday morning in a bid to determine what exactly caused the accident. The road on which the tragedy occurred, the R240, remained closed for most of the day. The head of the Garda Traffic Corps in Co Donegal, Inspector Seamus McGonigle, said there was very little he could say about the latest loss of life on Donegal's roads.
"There's very little I can say other than to express my sincere sympathy with the family of the young man who lost his life and the young man who was seriously injured,” he said. "This is simply another tragedy on the roads of Donegal which I would prefer not to be commenting on. It's simply heartbreaking for all concerned.
" This is the ninth death on Donegal's roads so far this year compared to a total number of 10 fatalities for all of last year on the county's roads. Inspector McGonigle issued a general appeal for people to concentrate on their driving when they get behind the wheel. He also asked people to be aware of weather conditions after a status yellow rain warning was issued for Donegal for the next couple of days.
He added: "I would simply ask people to be as careful as they can when they get behind the wheel of a car. "It goes without saying that they should always wear their seat belt, not to speed and never to drive while under the influence of drink or drugs. "But overall I would just ask people, young and old, to mind their driving at all times and to be careful.
" Tributes have been flowing in on social media for Kian. One friend posted: “Rest in peace brother, taken way too soon. Wish things could be different.
There was so much more memories to be made. Look over the boys the next few days. Fly high, forever 16.
" Another said: "Rest easy beautiful boy. A lot of sore hearts today Kian. Forever our angel now.
" Local Derry MLA, Mark Durkan, said the crash in neighbouring Donegal had left this a "dark" time for all. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families devastated by this tragedy at this dark and unbelievably difficult time," he said. Gardaí and emergency services also attended the scene of a second, two-vehicle collision at Inver, Co.
Donegal, which happened shortly before 9am on Sunday. Three people were taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment and the road was closed for a time. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to the collisions to come forward.
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