The scene of the crash earlier this week
The young father of two who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Blanchardstown this week had phoned his wife just 15 minutes beforehand to say he would be home soon.
Hong Qing Qu (33) called Li Liu (27) before he left his work at the Red Rice restaurant in Kimmage in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Chinese fast-food delivery driver, who has a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, was driving back to his Mulhuddart home when an Audi A3 ploughed into the side of his Mitsubishi Colt.
The occupants of the Audi were picked up by another car and driven away from the scene.
Qing Qu’s cousin Xiaoyan Pan has told how his parents still don’t know he is dead.
“His parents haven’t seen him in 10 years and we just couldn’t tell them over the phone their son had died. We are waiting until they arrive and it’s just awful,” she said.
“Hong was such a wonderful dad and a hard-working husband. When he phoned Li to tell her he would be home soon she had no idea these would be his last ever words.”
Earleir this week a source told the Independent: "This poor man was left to die. He was abandoned in his mangled vehicle on the road and it was other motorists who raised the alarm.
"What happened was grossly callous and showed a total disrespect for human life. He had been going about his business trying to support his young family. Nobody should ever die like that."
Gardaí are continuing to investigate the death.
Meanwhile, a homeless man who was fatally injured after being hit by a lorry on the M50 had recently spoke about being emotionally exhausted by life on the streets.
Croatian national Vedran Kohut (37) and his dog ‘Evelyn’ had travelled through much of Europe during the past three years before arriving here in Ireland.
He was living in Limerick recently, and last month told the ‘Limerick Post’ he felt “left behind by society” and was “emotionally exhausted” by the experience as he lived in a makeshift camp alongside the River Shannon.
He was killed instantly at about 2.10pm on Wednesday at the Junction Six Blanchards-town exit when he was struck by a lorry.
Gardaí are treating his death as a personal tragedy.