Four police officers killed in border crash

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Four police officers were killed early today in a road accident on Britain's border with the Republic of Ireland.

The smash happened in County Down, just a few miles away from the border with the Irish Republic.

It is the biggest single loss of life for police in Northern Ireland since the end of the Troubles.
Britain's roads are amongst the safest in the world though, within Britain, deaths on Northern Ireland's roads have increased in recent years.

Four police officers killed in freak road accident in Northern Ireland

By Stephen Wright
23rd November 2008
Daily Mail


Four police officers were killed in a horrific car crash while answering a routine emergency call to assist a violent arrest.


It happened as the officers raced to assist colleagues in another police unit trying to detain a man over a minor offence, believed to be drink-related.


The four wheel drive Shogun vehicle was reduced to a burnt-out wreckage with only the driver's door recognisable as a police car.



The remains of the burnt out police car are at the centre of the investigation



The car exploded in flames after it skidded into a stone wall, rupturing the fuel tank, on a notorious road.


Live ammunition which was being carried by the officers exploded on impact, meaning they had virtually no chance of escape.


One of the dead officers had just become a father and it is the single worst loss of life for the Police Service of Northern Ireland since the end of the Troubles.


The horror smash happened between Warrenpoint and Kilkeel in Co. Down, as the officers - two full time policeman and two part-time colleagues - were answering an urgent call for assistance from colleagues trying to arrest a man nearby.


The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated but early inquiries suggested that poor weather conditions and excess speed may have resulted in the car spinning out of control.


The PSNI said it appeared no other vehicle was involved in the accident and that there was no suggestion that there were any terrorist or paramilitary links.


All four officers were from the Mourne area of Co Down and two of them had young families.

The crash site has been sealed off as accident investigators conduct a fingertip examination of the scene and prepare to remove the burnt-out shell of the vehicle which will undergo a detailed forensic investigation. It is hoped the vehicle's 'black box' recorder can explain the cause of the crash.


One eyewitness said: 'Just from looking at the mangled wreck of the vehicle it is obvious that these officers did not stand a chance of getting out alive. Nobody could have survived such carnage. It is too horrific for words and the lives of four families have been turned upside down in the run up to Christmas. One just can't begin to imagine what these families are going through right now.'

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, who was amongst the first to visit the scene of the tragedy, said he was 'shocked' at the carnage.


Terry Spence, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Federation said: "Two of these officers had children and coming up to Christmas this will be extremely difficult for their extended families but for all of these officers there will be mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, the police service in general and in particular the colleagues who served with these men so it will be a very very difficult time foe everyone involved.'


Democratic Unionist Party assembly member for the area Jim Wells visited the scene and said the deaths were particularly poignant in the run up to Christmas.


Mr Wells said: "o make matters even more tragic, a very young baby has been born to the wife of one of those officers.


'I know that the circumstances of the other officers are equally tragic so this is an awful day for the whole community.'

dailymail.co.uk
 

shadowshiv

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May 29, 2007
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Where did they bury the survivors?

I'm not sure what you mean, petros. There were no survivors in this accident.:-(

Blackleaf, it does not look like there is a lot of damage to the car(besides the fire damage obviously), so do you think that if the fuel tank had not exploded they would have survived? Also, would this be a design flaw of that particular model of car that would have caused it to explode on impact or would this have happened no matter the make of the car?
 

Risus

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May 24, 2006
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What exactly is the point of this thread? People get killed in car accidents all the time....
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
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Live ammunition which was being carried by the officers exploded on impact, meaning they had virtually no chance of escape.

That sounds like nonsense. Bullets in a gun, or in a belt pouch do not explode on impact in a car accident. I would guess that since the vehicle burned with the men inside of it, there is a good chance that some bullets cooked off in the heat of the fire but but they did not prevent the officers from escaping.
 

shadowshiv

Dark Overlord
May 29, 2007
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What exactly is the point of this thread? People get killed in car accidents all the time....

Blackleaf lives in Britain, and the majority of his posts deal with issues in Europe. That is why it is here, and the fact that there is a little bit of mystery tied to this particular crash.
 

Risus

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May 24, 2006
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Blackleaf lives in Britain, and the majority of his posts deal with issues in Europe. That is why it is here, and the fact that there is a little bit of mystery tied to this particular crash.

Everything in Britain is a mystery...
 

scratch

Senate Member
May 20, 2008
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With all due respect to you Risus,

What you consider `as everything being a mystery` is simply a difference in the way that they do and perceive things versus ourselves. It is a mentality issue. The way that investigations are conducted by your standards are not their standards.
Once you get a hold on that, things that occur in Great Britain or Europe become easier to follow and understand.

Regards,
scratch
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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I'm not sure what you mean, petros. There were no survivors in this accident.:-(

Blackleaf, it does not look like there is a lot of damage to the car(besides the fire damage obviously), so do you think that if the fuel tank had not exploded they would have survived? Also, would this be a design flaw of that particular model of car that would have caused it to explode on impact or would this have happened no matter the make of the car?
I take it your never heard the riddle about a car crashing on the border?