Galway footballer Shane Walsh injured in car accident

Galway ace forward Shane Walsh has broken his hand in a fatal car accident in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 55-year-old man from Tuam who was the driver of one of the cars involved in the crash lost his life in the incident while Walsh and one other were taken to University Hospital Galway for treatment on their injuries, which were not life-threatening.

The crash happened on the N17 on the Galway City side of Tuam at around 2.20am on Saturday morning, after Walsh was making his way home from a challenge match with Galway against Cork in Limerick on Friday evening.

The Kilkerrin/Clonberne clubman will now miss Galway's crunch Connacht semi-final meeting with Mayo at Pearse Stadium next Sunday and is likely to be out for a number of weeks.

After winning an All-Ireland U21 title with the Tribesmen in 2013, Walsh was crucial in Galway reaching the All-Ireland quarter-finals last year through the back door where they were beaten by Kerry.

The 22 year-old produced one of the moments of the championship with his superb point against Tipperary in round 4 of the qualifiers, and was nominated for both an All-Star and the Young Footballer of the Year award.