Sister of man killed in A5 horror crash speaks out at Enough is Enough campaign launch in Co Tyrone

The sister of one of three young men killed in a horror crash on the A5 near Garvaghy in Co Tyrone in December 2021 has opened up about losing her youngest brother.

“It's just completely changed our lives. The house is now just so quiet without him”, said Aimee McNamee.

Petey McNamee, along with his two friends Nathan Corrigan and Peter Finnegan died after the car they were travelling in collided with a lorry after a night out over Christmas.

There was a big turnout for the launch of the Enough is Enough campaign on Monday at Tyrone GAA HQ demanding the road is upgraded.

Aimee McNamee told UTV: “Every day now you are seeing on Facebook or hearing on the news the A5 is closed and you're waiting to hear if somebody else has been killed and if you know them.  Especially the amount of young people who had so much life to live.

“Petey was the always the life and soul of our house and since then it's just so quiet without him.”

During the event, the A5 was described as the most dangerous road in the country.

The campaign group say since the upgrade project was given the go ahead by the Assembly in 2007 44 lives have been lost.

It has been delayed for a number of reasons including funding and legal challenges.

A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: “The upgrade of the A5 dual carriageway is essential, first and foremost to improve road safety. The Department is acutely aware of the collision history along the existing road. Too many lives have been lost and our sincere condolences go out to all those families who have lost a loved one. We also sympathise with those who have been injured in road traffic collisions.

“The Department is doing all that we can within our powers to progress the A5 Western Transport Corridor project in line with statutory procedures. We continue to work closely with the Planning Appeals Commission to ensure that the public inquiry process is completed. In late 2022 the PAC requested that the Department produce and consult on new information which will assist in the understanding of the landscape and visual effects of the scheme. That consultation commenced on 18 January and will close on 3 March 2023.

“We would encourage anyone with an interest in this important scheme to make their views known during the consultation period. We also note the work being done by Tyrone GAA, the local community and elected representatives to support the A5 scheme. We hope that the public inquiry can be reconvened at the earliest opportunity following the completion of the consultation. The Department will then consider the outcome from the statutory inquiry and will make a decision on the next steps as quickly as possible.”

Niall McKenna the Chairman of the Enough is Enough Campaign says he had to do something after a player at his own club Killyclogher GAA was killed.

21-year-old John Rafferty died last October when his car collided with a tractor.

Mr McKenna said it must be horrific for the families to know those deaths could have been prevented and our aim now is to ensure there's no more than the 44.

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