The mother of a teen killed on the A5 two years ago has told of her anguish after hearing of the recent crash which left three dead.
Kate Corrigan’s son Nathan died along with friends Peter Finnegan and Petey McNamee after the crash near Kelly’s Inn, Garvaghy, in December 2021.
She was speaking at a pre inquiry meeting held by Tyrone GAA’s Enough is Enough campaign group, ahead of the resumption of the public inquiry into the development of the new dual carriageway on the road.
READ MORE: A5 crash: Three family members killed in Co Tyrone crash named locally
Three members of one family from the Strabane area, Dan McKane, Christine McKane and Julia McSorley, died after a crash on the road near Aughnacloy while they were returning from a family funeral in England last month.
It brought the number of people to have died in road traffic collisions on the A5 since 2006 to 47.
Speaking at the event, Kate told that hearing the news of another triple tragedy was really difficult.
“The recent tragedy last weekend at Aughnacloy, and sincere condolences to all families connected there, I personally found that really, really difficult,” Kate said.
“I could hardly watch the news that evening and more so than that the following morning because I knew they were waking up to the same horrific reality that myself, Daman and Callum had to wake up to.
“To the objectors who are waking up each new day and thinking of what new legal challenge they can put to the commissioner and the Department for Infrastructure’s legal team, every day we are stepping out into a new reality.
“I was listening tonight about the emphasis on the Alternative A5 Alliance and the objectors, and I was just sitting thinking what was I going to say.
“I just thought they’re all given a choice to put in their submissions to the inquiry to the commissioner, they can choose to object.
“On 27 December at seven o’clock in the morning we weren’t given any choice, we were thrown into a whole new world of everything that we have previously known had just fallen away.
“You’re thrown into a whole new world that you have absolutely no knowledge of or understanding of, and no choice.”
Hundreds packed into the event at the Silver Birch Hotel on Tuesday evening, including several families bereaved by crashes on the road.
The development of the A5 Western Transport Corridor was first approved by Stormont in 2006, but a series of legal challenges have thwarted its progress, with estimated costs for the project now totalling £1.6bn.
Political representatives from Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party formed a panel discussion at the Omagh event, while representatives from the UUP and the DUP said they were unable to attend due to other arrangements.
With the public inquiry to restart at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Monday 15 May, Brendan Hurl from the Enough is Enough campaign called for the public to make their voices heard as part of the inquiry.
“We have been far too passive for too long on this subject, we have sat back and waited. We can’t wait any more,” Brendan said.
“Since 2006 we’ve seen nothing but death, devastation and destruction on this road.
“We need to challenge the findings of the interim inquiry that concluded that phase three of the scheme that runs from Ballygawley to Aughnacloy offered no significant benefits and represented overprovision - try telling that to the McKane families and McSorley families tonight.”
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