Multiple dead and four injured in wrong-way head-on crash on M9 in County Kildare
A vehicle travelling southbound on the northbound M9 carriageway near Athy, County Kildare, struck a second car head-on at about 03:00 on Sunday, leaving a number of people dead and four hospitalised, including a child.
The collision
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, at approximately 03:00 local time, a head-on collision occurred on the M9 motorway at Junction 3 near Athy, County Kildare. A vehicle travelling southbound on the northbound carriageway struck a second car on the stretch of motorway between Junction 3 and Junction 4. Gardaí in Athy were alerted to the wrong-way vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning. The impact left a number of people dead, though authorities have not disclosed the exact count or identified which vehicle the deceased were travelling in.
Gardaí said: "A number of fatalities have occurred and no further details are available at this time."
The injured
Four occupants of the second car were taken to three separate hospitals with serious or critical injuries. The female driver and front passenger, both in their 30s, were removed from the scene to Tallaght University Hospital, where both remain in critical condition. A female rear seat passenger, aged in her 20s, was taken to St. Luke's General Hospital and is in a serious condition. The third passenger, a child, was brought to Children's Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin and is also in a serious condition. All four injured were occupants of the second vehicle involved in the collision. Three of the four hospitalised are female: the driver, the front passenger, and the rear passenger. The gender of the child has not been specified.
- Tallaght University Hospital
- 2 patients
- St. Luke's General Hospital
- 1 patients
- CHI Crumlin
- 1 patients
Road closure and investigation
The section of the M9 from Junction 3 to Junction 4 remains closed in both northbound and southbound directions, with local diversions in place. A Garda Forensic Collision examination will take place in due course. Gardaí said they are investigating "all the circumstances" of the collision. Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, has been notified of the incident. The closure affects both directions of the motorway between the two junctions, with no timeframe given for reopening.
Appeal for witnesses
Gardaí are appealing for any persons who may have witnessed the collision to come forward. They are particularly interested in hearing from road users who were travelling on the M9 northbound or southbound between 02:00 and 03:00 on Sunday, August 16, 2026, and who may have dashcam footage of the incident or the surrounding area. Anyone with information is asked to contact Athy Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Investigations are ongoing.
