Man dies in Derry road crash
A 24-year-old man has died in a road accident in Derry.
Martin Gallagher, 24, from Sandale Park died after being hit by a car on the Racecourse Road shortly before 2.20am on Sunday.
Mr Gallagher was a well known marathon runner and a member of Foyle Valley Athletic Club.
A 22-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the incident has been released pending further enquiries.
Tributes have flowed in as the family of Mr Gallagher tried to come to terms with the sudden death of their son.
He is survived by his parents Martin and Elizabeth and siblings Michelle, 36, Richard, 30, Anne, 28, and Ryan, 23.
"He was just a good son, a devoted runner and good athlete – we never had a bit of bother with him," Martin Snr said
"I was an excellent swimmer myself, I swam for Ulster and Ireland in the 1960s, sport runs in the family."
He said that his son Martin had been keen on football before taking up running.
Speaking about the family's grief, he said: "What can you say at a time like this?"
He said that Martin would have finished his work each day as an electrician, and headed out to run for nine or 10 miles.
And he said that the local community were shocked at the death of his son, who had been a "well-known and likable character".
A post mortem examination is to be carried out on Mr Gallagher's body today.
Foyle Valley club chairman Gabriel Bell, where Mr Gallagher had been a member for five or six years, described him as someone who had been "really well liked and up for a laugh – but when it came to training, he was really, really serious".
"He would have trained three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday mornings, no matter where it was, there were no complaints," he said.
Gabriel said that Mr Gallagher had been due to take part in a cross-country event in Coleraine later this month, where he would have been "one of our key runners".
Sinn Fein Councillor Tony Hassan said his thoughts were with the young man's family.
"I want to express my sympathy and that of my party to the family and friends of this young man; it is a tragic and very personal loss for them.
"They are in our thoughts and prayers at this time as they are trying to come to terms with such dreadful news."
SDLP MLA Mary Bradley said Mr gallagher's death was "an awful tragedy."
"My heart goes out to the young man's family. They are a very good, honest and hard-working family and this is a terrible tragedy for them.
"I know that the community will gather around the family at this most unbearable time and hope that they can take that as a positive for how well liked the he was. Words cannot describe the pain and suffering that results from a road traffic death because it is so immediate and final. My thoughts and prayers are with the family that, in time, they can learn to cope the best they can."
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Weather for Derry
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 7 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
