{
  "id": 2573011,
  "title": "Wrong-way crash survivor can't believe it happened again",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/wrong-way-crash-survivor-cant-believe-it-happened-again",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T12:12:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0822/1588856-roisin-stakelum/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Róisín Stakelum, a woman severely injured in a wrong-way motorway crash three years ago, expressed her shock at the recent M9 collision that claimed five lives. Five teenagers died in the incident on Sunday when a car drove the wrong way down the M9 in Co Kildare and collided with another vehicle. A child and three women from the same family, who were in the other car, are hospitalized with serious injuries. A vigil for the family, who were en route to Dublin Airport for a holiday, was held the night before. Funerals for three of the teenagers - Joe Carthy, Alex McCarthy, and Kamil Pustkowski - were held the day after the crash, while Jeremy O'Brien and Jack Kennedy's funerals are scheduled for the following two days. Stakelum, speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor program, said she cannot believe the tragedy has happened again, as it brought back painful memories for her. She is still struggling with the psychological impact of her 2023 crash and fears she may never return to her previous life. Stakelum urged people to be more cautious, particularly young drivers, on the roads, and criticized the lack of measures to prevent wrong-way driving incidents.",
  "summary": "A woman seriously injured in a wrong-way motorway crash three years ago has said the M9 collision last weekend has \"brought it all back\" for her.",
  "key_points": [
    "Róisín Stakelum, survivor of 2023 wrong-way crash, shocked by recent M9 incident",
    "Five teenagers and family killed in Sunday's M9 collision, three hospitalized",
    "Stakelum struggles with psychological impact, calls for caution on roads"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}