‘The whole community is in shock’ – man (47) killed in Westmeath road crash lay dead for days

Polish national Marcin Nowosielski was found by friends on Tuesday after they went out searching for the factory worker when he failed to return home at the weekend.

Gardaí and emergency services went to the scene at Teevrevagh outside Castlepollard when Mr Nowosielski’s car was found upside down in a ditch about 6.40pm.

Alfie Devine, who is a local firefighter and Fianna Fáil councillor, said the reason the alarm was not raised sooner was because Mr Nowosielski’s car was out of sight.

“The car was found in a ditch upside down and you couldn’t see it from the road,” he said.

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“He was a Polish guy living in nearby Collinstown and had been living here for the last 10 or 12 years. He has no family in the area but a number of friends and they went looking for him and eventually found the car yesterday.”

The local Castlepollard man described Mr Nowosielski as a good-natured individual who was well liked in the local community.

“He worked in a local pallet factory at Lickbla and he has worked there for the last while. He was a nice guy who enjoyed his social weekends and nights out. He was a proud Polish man and any time they were playing you would hear him shouting for Poland.”

News of the tragedy followed hot on the heels of a second road fatality to hit Castlepollard in just 24 hours.

As with the single-vehicle accident that claimed the life of Mr Nowosielski, gardaí are appealing for witnesses to to come forward in relation to a two-vehicle crash on the R394 at Gartlandstown, just outside Castlepollard at 5.30am today.

A man in his eighties, who was a passenger in one of the two cars involved in the crash, was killed while the vehicle’s female driver, who was in her 60s, was taken to Tullamore’s Midland Regional Hospital for treatment for serious injuries.

A second man in his 30s who was driving the second car involved in the collision was brought to Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries. A male passenger in his 20s was transferred to Tullamore Hospital for what have also been classed as non-life-threatening injuries.

Cllr Devine said the local community had been stunned by details surrounding the double tragedy, saying the most recent incident involved a family who were en route to catch a flight back to the US following a recent holiday.

“The second person who died this morning have family living in the area and they were just leaving for the airport to go back to the States,” he said. “They were after being on a month’s holiday and there is just huge shock around the area.

“We don’t get the likes of this happening and it is because of the state of the roads. They are very slippery at the minute and not in great condition because of the weather.

“I work in the local fire service and we have been at three accidents in the last 24 hours, so people maybe need to slow down a little bit and be aware that the roads are very slippery.”

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said: “Recent incidents on our roads once again tragically illustrate the dangers that can affect any of us. No one sets out with the intention of causing or being involved in a traffic collision, especially one that results in fatalities. We often take using our roads as a routine activity, yet it remains the most hazardous task we engage in daily.

“An Garda Síochána extends its deepest sympathies to all families mourning the loss of loved ones due to road traffic collisions. An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to all road users — no matter how you use the road — to exercise extreme caution and stay safe. In particular, we urge all drivers to please slow down and protect everyone on our roads.”