Teenage girl remains critical after Ballycastle collision

Flowers are laid at the scene where Johnny Black and Robin Wilson died in a car smash on the Cushendall Road, Ballycastle in the early hours of Monday April 2015. Picture Kevin McAuley/McAuley Multimedia

Johnny Black, 19, from Ballycastle and Armoy man Robin Wilson, 26, died as a result of a head-on collision between two cars on the Cushendall Road around 3.40am.

On Monday and Tuesday a number of floral tributes were left at the scene of the tragedy.

Another woman was also critically injured but was later said to have improved at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

On Tuesday night a spokeswoman for the Belfast Trust said she was now in a stable condition.

Four other people are being treated at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

The crash happened on the stretch of road between Ballycastle and Ballypatrick Forest, just hours after 42-year-old motorcyclist David Anderson from the Coleraine area died following a collision outside Lisburn.

SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell is a friend of the Black family from Ballycastle.

He said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the tragedy and expressed his condolences to the family.

“Johnny was a popular young man and well-known throughout his community.

“This is a terrible loss for his family, friends and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him,” he said.

“I have known the family for a long time and this news has devastated me and the entire family.

“I want to pass on my deepest condolences to Johnny’s family and the family of the second victim at this very difficult time,” Mr McDonnell added.

Local priest Fr Raymond Fulton said Mr Black had been actively involved in farm work from an early age, and was a hard-working lorry driver in more recent years.

“There are pictures of him in the house bringing in the sheep when he was three years of age. He was a young lad who was always involved in his father’s business.

“He travelled and drove the lorry as far as Italy,” he said.

Ballymoney councillor Bill Kennedy described Robin Wilson as a “very nice guy”.

He said: “He was a lovely big fella. Well mannered and just a lovely, nice guy. The last time I spoke to him he was still working late in the evening and he was going home to finish some wee job on the car.”