Extract from Irish Independent 2nd. August 2019
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former garda who died in a crash with a fuel tanker.
Grandfather PJ Byrne died when the car he was driving collided with a fuel tanker on the R630 Midleton to Whitegate road in east Cork shortly before 7am yesterday.
Mr Byrne, who was in his late 50s, had been working as a caretaker at Cork College of Commerce.
The college posted a tribute to Mr Byrne after the accident.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we report how shocked and sad we are as a college community to discover that one of our caretakers, PJ Byrne, was tragically killed in a car accident on his way to work,” a college spokesperson said.
“PJ was part of our family here. He was so proud of his children and grandchildren. We are heartbroken for them all.”
Mr Byrne suffered critical injuries when his car was involved in a head-on collision with the tanker.
He died at the scene before he could be transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH).