A 74-year-old grandmother has died in a freak accident in Ennis, Co Clare.

The accident happened close to the Tesco and Aldi stores at Francis Street in Ennis at around 1.30pm this afternoon.

The woman, named locally as Josie Lucas from Ennis, is understood to have been placing shopping into the back of her car when it suddenly reversed knocking her and her six-year-old granddaughter to the ground.

The victim’s five-year-old grandson was inside the car at the time. The two children were unhurt but were taken to hospital where they were treated for shock.

Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances of the accident and are seeking witnesses to the tragedy. It’s believed however that the child inside the car may have unwittingly turned the key in the ignition, starting the vehicle which is believed to have been in gear.

The car reversed out its parking space and across to the other side of the road. The woman was knocked to the ground while the second child was lucky to escape uninjured.

An off-duty fire officer and paramedic, who were passing at the time, alerted the emergency services.

Dozens of shoppers looked on as emergency crews battled to revived the gravely injured woman. Passersby also took care of both young children while emergency services arrived at the scene.

Two units of the fire brigade from Ennis along with two ambulances and rapid response advanced paramedic responded to the incident.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Mrs Lucas’s family owns a popular pub in the centre of Ennis.

The road was closed until garda forensic collision investigators had completed their examination of the scene.

A garda spokesman said: “We believe the woman was putting her shopping into the back of her car when it moved. There were two children with her but they were unhurt.

We have spoken to some witnesses but would still ask anyone who was in the Francis Street area at around 1.30pm to contact us at Ennis station if they saw anything,” the spokesman added.

Gardaí are expected to view CCTV footage obtained from local businesses in an effort to establish the circumstances of the tragedy.