The scene of the crash on Monday
POLICE HAVE said that it was by pure good luck that there wasn’t serious loss of life when a cattle trailer crashed not far from Derrylin killing ten animals.
The accident occurred only a short distance from the town on the main Enniskillen to Dublin road and police say there could have been ‘a disaster’ had the trailer become uncoupled from the lorry in a built up area.
The collision, in which, it is thought, no other vehicle was involved, occurred between Derrylin Cross and Teemore Cross. It was heading for Derrylin at the time, at shortly before midday on Monday, having set out from Belturbet.
A local police inspector, Roy Robinson, told the Herald that, ‘a huge disaster was averted by the grace of God’.
“If that trailer had travelled another mile, it would have been in Derrylin and the consequences are unthinkable. People, definitely, could have been killed. Thankfully, the trailer veered off into the hedge, but, it’s so fortunate that nobody else was injured.”
The double, Mayo-registered trailer was travelling to Derrylin from Belturbet when the second part with 10 cattle on board, broke away and rolled down a 6’ bank on its own side of the road, throwing some of the animals out through the front.
A police spokesman said PSNI personnel received a report that a trailer containing a number of cattle had overturned on the Teemore Road outside Derrylin shortly after 11.45am on Monday, March 2nd.
She confirmed that 10 cattle were reported to have died as a result.
Inspector Robinson confirmed there were 10 cattle in the trailer, seven died as a result of the accident, and three had to be put down.
“There were 10 more in the front part of the lorry, and they were fine. It was the trailer. Something became detached and it’s still being investigated.”
He explained that the driver, who escaped injury, had contacted the owner.
Meanwhile, in Derrylin itself, local pharmacist, Peadar McGovern told the Herald that local people were counting their blessings.
“They were saying it was fortunate that the trailer didn’t shoot across the road.”
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