Tributes pour in as community mourns 'incredibly gentle' Kacper Dudek

Tributes have poured in for ‘gentle soul’ Kacper Dudek, the man who died when a tree fell onto his car on Friday morning.

The 20-year-old was killed when tragedy struck as he made his way home from work in Letterkenny at around 5.30am.

A tree along the N14 road at Feddyglass, Raphoe struck the car which was being driven by Mr Dudek, who was born in Poland and raised in Lifford.

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“It’s really devastating news for the community to hear of Kacper’s tragic passing,” Sinn Féin County Councillor Dakota Nic Mheanman said. “My thoughts are prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”

His former secondary school Holy Cross College in Strabane, said in an emotional tribute: “The Holy Cross College community sends our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of our past student, Kacper Dudek who has sadly passed away. May Kacper’s gentle soul rest in peace.”

ABC Childcare Centre in Lifford said: “We would like to send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Kacper Dudek. We had the pleasure of getting to know Kacper in our preschool service and have fond memories of him. May he rest in peace.”

The winds of Storm Éowyn were howling although the incident occurred before a status red alert was active from 7am.

The body of the deceased man was removed from the scene to the mortuary in Letterkenny University Hospital for a post mortem examination and the N14 was closed to allow for a full examination of the scene.

Garda forensic collision investigators and divisional scenes of crime arrived at the scene on Saturday while a Garda family liaison officer (FLO) has been assigned to provided support to the family of Mr Dudek.

Mr Dudek left his night shift with a colleague and the pair were travelling in a two-car convoy when the heartbreaking incident occurred. 

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that investigations are ongoing into the crash.

Sion Swifts Football Club, for whom Mr Dudek’s younger brother Karol plays, said in an online post: “We keep you all in our thoughts and prayers at this very sad and difficult time. May Kacper rest in peace.”

One person recalled the late Mr Dudek as “the nicest young man and the best friend” whole another said he “never failed to make us all smile, was a pleasure to have him in our form class”.

He was remembered as “an incredibly gentle, modest young man” while another person recalled “an earnest, kindly and unassuming young man”.