Actor and musician with The Stunning and The Walls, Steve Wall said he was driving on the N85 road, between Ennis and Ennistymon in Co Clare, when he met an oncoming car trying to overtake a line of traffic – almost a replica scenario of when his niece was killed in 2017.
His brother Vincent Wall was driving his little daughter Estlin Wall from their home at Ennistymon to the creche in Inagh when he was forced to take evasive action after an oncoming motorist pulled out from behind a bus.
Estlin was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick and later transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin with traumatic neck and brain injuries. Her life support machine was switched off three days later.
Her dad suffered a serious brain injury in the crash and was placed in an induced coma, missing his little girl’s funeral and unaware for weeks that she had died.
Wall was left recalling those vivid memories that will forever haunt his family when he was involved in a similar incident earlier this week.
Steve Wall of the Stunning. Photo: Liam Carroll.
He said: “I was on the Ennis to Ennistymon Road and I had just passed the spot where my niece Estlin was killed in the crash when the same thing almost happened to me.
“I came around a bend and a van attempting to overtake a line of cars was coming straight at me. I braked and started to veer my car towards the verge, while in a split second before impact the van driver just managed to pull into a gap in the line of cars.
“I have to admit, I gave him the fingers and he actually waved as if to say ‘sorry’. I was shaken by the absolute insanity of what had happened. He was overtaking on a blind spot. I wish I had a dashcam. I’m seriously thinking of getting one.”
He is now calling on Clare County Council to immediately put road safety measures in place and says he was outraged when he heard reports that councillors were talking about spending money on making Clare “pretty” ahead of two upcoming major golf tournaments, the Irish Open and the Walker Cup.
“I was furious when I heard reports that Clare County Council was investing in infrastructure measures to make Clare pretty for the golfers and the tourists. They need to put measures in place to keep Clare safe for the locals and the daily road users,” Wall said.
“There has been no additional signage warning against overtaking since Estlin died.”
“The Cliffs of Moher receives up to 130 coaches each day in peak season and many of these travel on the N85. It is a very busy road and can you imagine the traffic trying to overtake a coach or a tractor? There are no places to pull in to let motorists pass.
“Overtaking and attempting to overtake is the cause of many of the accidents. It’s not always to do with excessive speed, in fact slower moving vehicles can also contribute.
“Trucks, tractors, buses, slow vehicles and slow drivers must be provided with areas they can pull in safely to let traffic behind them pass. There should also be signs telling drivers that there are areas up ahead to pull in. A sign saying ‘bends in the road ahead’ is not enough.
“It’s hard to believe that on March 15, it will be nine years since beautiful Estlin was taken from us and since then absolutely nothing has changed – either with our legal system, the state of that road and the behaviour of drivers has grown worse.”
In a statement, Clare County Council said: “In accordance with the Roads Act 2007, it is the general duty of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads (N85 Ennis to Ennistymon) and for that purpose it shall have overall responsibility for the planning and supervision of works for the construction and maintenance of such national roads.
“TII will also be responsible for other functions in relation to the construction or maintenance of national roads as assigned under the Roads Act or other legislation.
“Clare County Council is looking to progress a scheme with TII at Kilnamona on the N85 which involves realigning the road at that location. However, we have not secured funding to date to progress that scheme.
“Illegal driver behaviour eg speeding / dangerous overtaking manoeuvres etc should be referred to An Garda Síochána for comment.”