A witness to the shocking collision between a truck and several cars at Dublin Airport on Wednesday night has told how he first thought it was a terror attack.
The 44-year-old Dublin man, who has asked not to be identified, said he was standing outside Terminal 1 waiting for a lift when he heard the smash and ran over to see if he could help.
Five people were injured in the multi-vehicle collision, with at least one person needing treatment at Beaumont Hospital, and a taxi driver was cut out of his car by emergency services.
The Irish Mirror understands the incident happened after the truck driver became impaired due to a diabetes-related condition.
The man told the Irish Mirror: “I was the first person on the scene and it was me who rang 999 at 7.18pm.
“I was standing outside T1 when I heard a loud crash sound. My dad, who was coming to collect me, was lucky because he arrived just a few moments after the crash.
“When I heard the crash noise, I ran straight over. I was there in seconds, so I was the first on the scene and I called 999.
“The terrorist attacks from around the world in recent times, the ones that we have seen involving vehicles, where cars are driven into crowds, came to mind as I ran.
“I have some medical training, so I ran over and saw that one of the cars had four occupants in it. I shouted, ‘Are you okay?’ They looked dazed.
“It was just natural instinct to go over to see if I could help.
“When I saw the next car, which had taken the brunt of the impact, that’s when I rang the gardai and told them there has been a major incident.
“I wasn’t terrified right away, but then shock came to me and I knew that I had to call [the emergency services].
“I gave the gardai a description of what I saw, but I haven’t given a statement yet.”
Sources told the Irish Mirror that the incident was the result of the truck driver suffering a diabetic episode.
It is understood the man was in a confused state when reached by gardai and was unable to tell them what had happened or how he had reached the spot outside the airport.
A Garda spokesman told the Irish Mirror that it has no new updates, other than that the investigation is “ongoing”.
He said: “A lorry struck a number of vehicles outside Terminal One and on the departure road of Dublin Airport.
“A number of cars were damaged and it is understood that a number of persons received minor injuries.”
