Latvian plunges to death despite Garda efforts
A Latvian driver has died after his car plunged from the Bridge of Peace and into the icy river Boyne in the early hours of Monday morning. Despite a massive rescue operation involving Gardaí, firecrews and river rescue units the 21-year-old driver died from his injuries at the scene.

Gardaí would not speculate on the exact cause of the accident only to say that the car left the bridge at 3am and slammed into the river – bonnet down.The car was eventually removed from the river at 6am with aid of a lifting crane from the Ardee area.

Within seconds of the accident, gardaí from Drogheda Garda Station arrived on the scene and tried valiantly to help the man. Brave Gardaí Cormac Nee and Ian Campbell waded into the river in an attempt to rescue the young Latvian. The duo spent ages trying to get to the man but were unable to release him from the car. Gardaí suspect he died from impact injuries.

A post mortem on the 21-year-old was carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda on Monday. The dead man has been named as Ainars Zarins, with an address in Dundalk. The damaged car is a BMW type and is currently in the possession of Drogheda Gardaí. The car will be examined by garda forensic crews to determine if the vehicle was faulty.

The man had just left a friend’s house in Drogheda when the accident occurred. Sergeant Pius Sweeney, who attended the scene of the tragic accident, praised the efforts of his own officers, river rescuers and firecrews who tried valiantly to get to the driver.‘I have to praise everyone who took part in the rescue operation.

‘The River Rescuers and Firecrews did a magnificent job in trying to release the man and our own Gardaí did everything we could,’ he told the Drogheda Independent.A spokesperson for the Boyne River Rescue said their members were on the scene within seconds. Boyne River Rescuer Richard Skelley said, ‘it was a tragic accident and we did every we could to help the man. The water temperature is very cold at this time of the year.’