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“We will never forget”
20.03.18
BUNCRANA Pier tragedy
mum Louise James is being comforted today by
friends, two years to the day she lost five members
of her family in an horrific drowning accident.
Ms James (37) shared a photo in the early hours of
this morning of her sons Mark (12) and Evan (8) who
died alongside their father Sean McGrotty (49),
their grandmother Ruth Daniels (59) and her teenage
daughter Jodie-Lee Daniels (14).
The boys’ infant sister Rioghnach-Ann (four months)
was the sole survivor of the accident after she was
saved by Kerrykeel native Davitt Walsh (32) who swam
out to help the stricken family.
All five victims died when Mr McGrotty's Audi Q7
slid off the algae-covered slipway into Lough Swilly
on Sunday, March 20, 2016, as the sun set on a
beautiful spring evening in the seaside town. |
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Pier tragedy: Clockwise, Sean
McGrotty, Ruth Daniels, Mark and Evan McGrotty, and
Jodie Lee Daniels. |
An inquest last
November heard harrowing evidence of Mr Walsh’s
attempts to help the family who were trapped and
screaming inside the sinking vehicle.
The inquest also heard that the driver of the
vehicle, Mr McGrotty, was three times over the
drink-drive limit at the time of the accident.
Jurors heard how the vehicle sank and disappeared
from sight within minutes of entering the water.
They were told how Ms James was returning from a hen
party with friends in Liverpool when news of the
horrific accident reached her.
A verdict of death by misadventure was returned in
the case, with Ms James telling how her “heart was
shattered” that ill-fated day and how “every moment
of every day is filled with thoughts” of her lost
loved ones.
Friends rushed to comfort her today after she
updated her Facebook profile with a photograph of
her two smiling sons wearing their school uniforms.
One pal wrote: “Two year(s) on and no easier
(honey). Loved and missed always darling.”
“Always in our thoughts Louise, especially today,”
another said.
Other messages told the young Derry woman that her
family would be “proud” of her courage as she
navigates a much-altered life with her daughter who
is now two years and four months old.
“Heartbroken but still going strong. We all love you
so much and will never forget,” another friend told
her. |
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