Arrest in connection with hit and run investigation in Cavan

Gardaí have arrested a man in connection with their investigation into a hit and run last week, following which two people were hospitalised including a pedestrian.

The incident occurred on the L1513 at Drumlark, Loreto Wood, on the outskirts of Cavan Town last Tuesday evening, February 17, at around 6:45pm.

The man, aged in his 20s, is currently being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a station in the Garda North Western Region and can be questioned for a period of time before which he must be either charged or released.

Investigations are ongoing.

The incident is the third reported hit-and-run on Irish roads in less than a week - one of which claimed the life of Mia Lily Keogh O’Keefe (16) in Navan last weekend while she was walking her dog.

Surgery for pedestrian

The Cavan hit-and-run unfolded shortly after 6:45pm on Tuesday, February 17, on the L1513 between Carrickane and Loreto College at Drumlark.

A woman in her 20s was walking her dog when the car narrowly avoided an oncoming vehicle and veered into the area where the woman was walking. She suffered a serious fracture to her lower leg and has since had surgery. Her injuries, while severe, are “not believed to be life-threatening”.

Passenger found on road

The most serious injuries were sustained by the passenger in the driver's car - understood to be a friend of the motorist.

Emergency services found him lying on the road, and it is believed he may have been thrown from the vehicle. A passer-by administered CPR at the scene before the male (in his 20s) was taken to Cavan General Hospital in a “critical condition”. He was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin for specialist treatment for serious head injuries.

Fled on foot

It's thought the driver fled on foot after abandoning the damaged vehicle.

The road from Loreto Cross was sealed off in both directions while Garda Forensic Collision Investigators examined the scene.

Gardaí are following a “definitely line of enquiry” and have identified a suspect.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone who witnessed the Cavan collision, or who may have dash-cam or mobile phone footage from between 6:30pm and 7pm, to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cavan Garda Station on 049-4368800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111, or any garda station.

Investigations are “ongoing”, a spokesperson said.

Third in days

The Cavan crash was one of a number of serious hit-and-run incidents reported nationwide in the space of a week.

The same evening as the Cavan crash, at approximately 7.10pm (February 17), a teenage boy was hospitalised after being struck by a car on Ratoath Road in Finglas. The incident occurred close to where teenager Grace Lynch (16) was killed after being struck by a scrambler motorcycle weeks earlier. The vehicle failed to remain at the scene and gardaí are seeking to trace a grey or silver saloon with partial registration 141-D.

In Meath, a man in his 20s arrested in connection with the hit-and-run that killed Mia Lily Keogh O’Keefe (16) was later relased without charge. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. That collision occurred at approximately 8:20pm on the Slane Road (N51) on Saturday evening.

The teenager was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where she was later pronounced dead.

Road deaths

Seven people were killed on Ireland’s roads at the weekend. In Armagh, three people died in a three-vehicle collision on the Armagh Road near the village of Moy on Saturday night.

The crash involved a red BMW, a grey Volkswagen and a white Audi, and the victims were named as Laura Hoy (23) and Conor Quinn (31)- both from Tyrone, and John Guy (48), originally from Dublin and living in Armagh.

All were pronounced dead at the scene. Four others were injured, three of whom remain in hospital.

There were further fatal crashes in Waterford and Galway.

Up to Monday, February 23, 22 people have died on roads in the Republic this year - the same number as at this point last year. Eight of the fatalities were pedestrians.

There has been one road death each in Cavan and Monaghan to date in 2026.