Brother of 14-year-old boy pays tribute after fatal Kilkenny crash

The brother of a 14-year-old boy who lost his life in a recent fatal accident in Co. Kilkenny has paid tribute to him.

14-year-old Joe Carthy was tragically killed when he collided with a car as he was out riding on his e-scooter. The crash occurred on Saturday evening (July 27), just before 6:30pm on the Tullaroan Road.

Earlier in the day, Joe had been enjoying a day of fishing with his brother Willie along the city’s canal. The young teen then embarked on his journey home to Bonnetstown, when he was fatally struck by the car at the top of a hill.

Joe was treated at the scene for his injuries and was taken by ambulance to St Luke’s General Hospital. However, he was later pronounced dead from the crash.

The driver of the car did not sustain any injuries in the incident.

Following their heartbreaking loss, the Carthy family visited the crash site yesterday (July 28), and paid tribute to Joe by placing balloons and flowers at the location.

Joe’s 21-year-old brother Willie also took the opportunity to speak out about the devastating loss of his younger sibling.

“He was fishing with me, and I ended up playing handball and he ended up going home,” Willie explained. 

“He mislaid me in the town and when he went to the handball alley, I wasn’t there, but I missed him by only a few seconds and I ended up waiting playing handball,” he recalled, before going on to describe his little brother.

“He was funny. He was a funny little young fella. He was happy. He was always jolly,” Willie praised. 

“He loved his fishing, he loved his sports, he loved hunting. He did everything we did. He liked his boxing too,” he added.

As Gardaí continue their investigation into the incident, they have asked any witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) of the Tullaroan Road between 6:00pm and 6:30pm on Saturday are being asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.