Father praises teenager who rescued death crash daughter
A father tonight praised a heroic teenager who rescued his injured daughter from the worst schoolbus crash in Irish history.
As five families prepared to bury their loved ones, Michael Maguire thanked 17-year-old Robert Connell for dragging his unconscious daughter, Julieanne, from the bus after it overturned outside Navan in Co Meath.
Mr Maguire said he was relieved that Julieanne, 17, who is one of five people who remain in a stable condition in hospital, was alive, but he sympathised with the parents who had been bereaved.
Five teenage girls were killed and 46 people were injured when the bus taking them home from secondary schools in Navan overturned at Kentstown on Monday afternoon.
The vehicle was not fitted with seatbelts and the tragedy has led to a massive public outcry for safety on school vehicles to be upgraded.
The Irish National Parents Council has proposed a boycott of all buses without seatbelts when the new school year starts in September.
President Eleanor Petrie said: “If we don’t make this stand, we will have blood on our hands. We have to stand up now.”
Education Minister Mary Hanafin said it would be impossible to instal seatbelts on all schoolbuses by September but junior minister Síle de Valera later said the Government was hoping to phase in the features.
Julieanne Maguire, 17, from Dollardstown, Co Meath was knocked unconscious by the impact of the crash and trapped under three other students.
But her 17-year-old neighbour, Robert Connell, pulled her out from under the three male pupils and then went in to the bus again to recover her schoolbag and mobile phone.
Her father Michael Maguire said Robert had acted even though his own arm was injured.
“It’s nice to think there’s lads like that who don’t think of themselves,” he said.
When Robert visited Julieanne in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, he told her grateful family: “Anyone would have done it.”
“He’s the modest type,” said Mr Maguire.
Julieanne, a pupil at St Michael’s Loreto Convent in Navan, has a badly bruised back and has been given morphine injections to relieve the pain.
Other children who lost classmates in the accident are suffering nightmares, sleeplessness and eating problems, experts have warned.
The makeshift shrine at St Michael’s Loreto Convent for four of its pupils killed in Monday afternoon’s crash continued to grow today as schoolgirls added more bouquets and messages.
Francis O’Toole, who is co-ordinating the counselling service, said the 700 students of the school were going through all the emotions associated with tragedy.
“You’re talking about shock, what has happened, the pain, the loss of a loved one,” he said.
“You’re talking about the fear, breaking down, what you say to your friends. There may be anger – is someone to blame for all this? They are the normal stages of grief people will go through and that’s going on for students and teachers.”
The symptoms reported among students include problems with sleeping, eating, talking and not being able to go the toilet. Many have also experienced nightmares.
Gardaí said they were making steady progress in interviewing and taking statements from the schoolchildren on the bus and other witnesses.
Superintendent Gerry Smith, of Navan Garda Station, said the three drivers involved in the accident had not yet been formally interviewed.
The bus and the two cars have been removed from the scene for forensic examination, along with sections of the road.
Mr Smith said it was still unclear what caused the accident.
“There’s a lot of witnesses to be interviewed and a lot of technical evidence to be examined,” he said.
St Michael’s Loreto Convent will be closed for the rest of the week, with the funerals of Deirdre Scanlon, Sinead Ledwidge, Claire McCluskey and Lisa Callan taking place tomorrow and the funeral of Amy McCabe taking place on Friday.
A guard of honour will be provided by the girls’ schoolmates at each funeral and students will sing in the choirs.
Businesses in Navan will shut down as a mark of respect during each funeral and a special Mass will be held at 2.30pm tomorrow in St Mary’s Church in the town.
:: The funeral of Deirdre Scanlon will take place in the Church of the Assumption, Beauparc at 11am tomorrow.
:: The funeral of Sinead Ledwidge will take place in the Church of the Assumption, Beauparc at 2pm tomorrow.
:: The funeral of Clare McCluskey will take place at the Church of the Nativity in Rosnaree at 11am tomorrow.
:: The funeral of Lisa Callan will take place at the Church of the Nativity in Rosnaree at 2pm tomorrow.
:: The funeral of Amy McCabe will take place in the Church of the Assumption, Beauparc at 11am on Friday.
