Concerns raised after yet another life lost on County Derry's roads

Concerns have been raised after another life was lost on County Derry's roads at the weekend. Alice Smylie died on Saturday after the vehicle she was travelling in was involved in a collision on the Hillhead Road near Castledawson at 10.40am on Saturday morning. The road was closed for some time following the crash, which involved a red Kia Soul and a black Mazda. 74 year-old Mrs Smylie, who was from Broughshane, was believed to have been sitting in the back seat of the car. It is understood her husband Laurence and their son James were also travelling in the car. Both men were taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. A third man was also taken to hospital for treatment. Ian Milne, Sinn Fein candidate for Mid-Ulster, extended his condolences to Mrs Smylie's family and friends following the tragedy. He said: "Whilst it's understandable and reasonable that some people have sincerely held concerns about the new road development which is designed to help better manage the high flow of traffic travelling between Belfast and Derry, these concerns, where practicable, should be addressed. However, it is clearly evident that the sooner the existing road from Toome to the Castledawson roundabout is left only to cater for local traffic usage and removed from the regional traffic network the better. There have been too many lives lost on this short stretch of road over time." Police were last night appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward. Inspector Gavin Sterling said: "The rtc occurred near the Creagh Road and involved a red Kia Soul and a black Mazda. I would ask anyone who may have witnessed this rtc, or either car in the area this morning, to contact Magherafelt Police Station or the Collision Investigation Unit on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 434 of 11/02/17."