Matthew Ilori (left) whose taxi was stolen, with his pastor Emmanuel Popoola who also drives a cab

Dylan Lacey, who was the second man to die in the crash

THE second man to die following a horror crash in a stolen taxi has been described as "a good kid" who had "a whole life ahead of him", by his uncle, a former Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Dylan Lacey (21), a nephew of Dublin city councillor Dermot Lacey, died from his injuries in the Mater Hospital a day after his friend Daniel Lynch (23) died in the tragic incident.

Gardai are investigating the crash that occurred on Dublin's North Wall Quay on Monday, a short distance from where three men took the taxi after threatening to knife the driver.

Mr Lynch, who is believed to have been driving the car when it crashed, died on Monday.

It is understood that a third man, who sustained minor injuries, remains in hospital.

Dylan Lacey is also a nephew of another Labour councillor, Gerry Ashe.

Last night Dermot Lacey spoke of his family's grief, saying: "I just feel desperately sorry for his brother and two sisters and his mother and father. It's horrible."

He said his nephew, who was seriously injured in the horrific crash, was taken off life support yesterday afternoon.

TRASHED

He told the Irish Independent: "I don't know what to say to you really. I liked him.

"I liked him a lot. He was a good kid. He had a whole life ahead of him.

"I'm 53, that's 32 years you know that I've had that he won't have.

"Two young lads are now dead. Another young lad is injured. It's no way to end life for anybody."

The taxi was car-jacked on New Wapping Street at about 2.40am.

Owner Matthew Ilori fled from the vehicle before it was taken after the men threatened to stab him and he has now said that he is considering leaving the taxi industry.

The red Chevrolet was driven at speed around the corner and down the quays towards the city centre where it smashed into the centre of a lock bridge after it attempted to overtake an articulated lorry.

Mr Ilori has expressed sympathy for the men who have died, saying that he has prayed for them, but added: "It wasn't good what they tried to do to me".

He continued: "The truth is that I am actually considering my profession, whether I will be able to go back or not.

"My wife, my sister and even my mum in Nigeria have asked me to think about the future.

"Personally, for myself, it's an experience I wouldn't want repeated.

"Honestly I'm not too sure if I'll go back into the taxi (trade) if I'm not able to work in the night which is the only time that you can make money."

The father-of-three said he has experienced previous instances of abusive behaviour from passengers including people running off without paying fares. His local pastor Emmanuel Popoola, who also works as a taxi driver, said he himself was assaulted and his car trashed in a late-night incident last year where four men were arrested.

MONSTERS

Mr Ilori, who previously worked as a computer programmer, said Monday morning's events have been "a traumatic experience for my family".

He blamed drugs and alcohol for instances of abuse towards taxi drivers and said the Government needed to "look at these two monsters" because, as he put it, "something drastic needs to be done".

Meanwhile, Daniel Lynch's family last night continued to mourn his loss.

His older brother Joey described him on Facebook as "the man everyone loved . . . a guy who walked into your life and right away he was part of it".

He thanked friends and family for their support saying: "this is gonna be the hardest thing we have to deal with.

"We need strength to get through it."

Irish Independent