The mother of a tragic road victim has paid tribute to her “beautiful son” following his death on Saturday night.
The PSNI confirmed on Monday that 21-year-old David McDonald passed away at the scene of a “serious collision” in the Carryduff Road area of Temple in Lisburn.
The young father had been the passenger in the car involved in a single-vehicle crash.
Emergency services were called to the incident at around 7pm on December 14.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Mr McDonald was a passenger in a blue Vauxhall Corsa involved in a serious collision… He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Officers from the PSNI’s Collision Investigation Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
The police said anyone with any information or dash cam footage should contact them on the non-emergency number.
David McDonald (21)
Mr McDonald’s mother Katrina described her son, who was also a father to young boys, as “beautiful” following the news of his death.
Many of his friends have shared online tributes to the late Carryduff native.
One friend said that Mr McDonald’s “memories and laughs were unmatched and they will be so missed” but that he will “never be forgotten”.
Another posted to social media, directly addressing Mr McDonald, stating: “You were far too good for this world, I’ll miss our conversations every day and miss you melting me… look over your wee family, I love ya”.
As of Sunday night, Mr McDonald was the 60th person to die on Northern Ireland’s roads in 2024, according to official PSNI statistics.
That’s just six less than the same date in 2023, and five more than the entirety of 2022.
Sending condolences, Sinn Fein councillor for the Castlereagh South area Daniel Bassett said: “Our thoughts are at first with David’s family, friends and everyone that knew him, at this very sad time.”
Mr Bassett added that Mr McDonald’s death is particularly heartbreaking so close to Christmas, and noted that road accidents are especially common at this time of year, urging the public to take care when driving in dark or wet conditions.
Last month, ahead of Road Safety Week (November 17-23), the charity Brake revealed that the rate of road deaths in Northern Ireland continues to be much higher than other parts of the UK.