INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE into the fatal road crash which claimed the life of Lisdoonvarna woman Stephanie Fitzpatrick on Saturday night.
An alarm was raised to emergency services at approximately 6:40pm on Friday evening of a single-vehicle collision on the N67 between Lahinch and Ennistymon. Fire crews from Ennistymon and Ennis responded to the incident.
Thirty seven year old, Stephanie was a passenger in the car which is reported to have struck a tree before overturning in the middle of the road. She was pronounced dead at the scene with a post-mortem later held at the University Hospital Limerick.
A male driver of the vehicle aged in his thirties escaped serious injuries. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving, he was taken to Ennis Garda Station and was released without charge, pending the conclusion of the Garda investigation and completion of a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Garda Eimear McDonagh of Ennis Garda Station outlined that Gardaí are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the collision or persons in the area to make contact with them. “Gardai in Ennistymon are investigating a fatal road traffic collision which occurred on the Lahinch Road, Ennistymon on Saturday 19th February 2022 at approximately 6.40pm. Anyone with dash cam footage or any information relating to this incident are asked to contact Ennistymon Gardai at 065-7072180 or any Garda Station”.
From a family of ten, Stephanie’s sudden death has caused heartache in North Clare. She was the youngest of the five boys and five girls in her family, three of her siblings are making the difficult journey home from Australia. Sinead Fitzpatrick in an online tribute described Stephanie was a “beautiful, fun loving, gentle, kind, talented, funny baby sister, sister in law, auntie” who “was cruelly snatched from our hearts at the weekend.
“She adored her family with a love so fierce, you felt it the minute you were with her. So difficult to make sense of this senseless loss. Hug your loved ones a little longer, and a little tighter today as nobody knows what life has in store. We love you and miss you beyond words Stephanie,” she added.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee, Lahinch’s Bill Slattery expressed his condolences to the Fitzpatrick family on the “very sad” death of their youngest member. “She came out that day to enjoy herself and didn’t get to come home,” he said. Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG), a native of Lisdoonvarna detailed that the “whole community was saddened to the core”.
