Tipperary woman dead and man arrested after Belfast hit-and-run
By Cillian Sherlock and Rebecca Black, Press Association
A 24-year-old woman has died and a man has been arrested following a hit-and-run crash in north Belfast.
Raven Adams, originally from the Tipperary area, died after she and a man were struck by a car.
The man was also seriously injured in the crash in the York Street Area at around 2.40am on Thursday.
The driver of the car “fled the scene”, police said, but was later arrested.
Detective Inspector Stewart from the Police Service’s collision investigation unit said: “It was reported the pedestrians were struck by a vehicle – the driver of which, a 22-year-old man, subsequently fled the scene, and was later arrested by officers in the nearby Cavehill area.
“He remains in police custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances of what happened.”
The detective added: “Officers attended the scene, alongside colleagues from other emergency services where medical treatment was provided to both pedestrians.
“Sadly, the female was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the man has been taken to hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
“The road has now fully reopened following a number of earlier closures in the area.”
A local MLA said the community was left “in shock” following the “very serious” road crash.
DUP MLA Philip Brett said he is “deeply saddened” by what happened.
“The local community is in shock at the seriousness of what has happened, and my thoughts are with everyone affected, together with their families and loved ones, at this incredibly difficult time,” he said.
He added: “Finally, I want to pay tribute to the emergency services who responded so quickly and professionally to what is clearly an extremely serious incident.”
The PSNI appealed to anyone with information about the collision or who has dash-cam footage of what happened to contact them using its witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals quoting reference 181 16/07/26 or calling 101.
