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Buncrana pier deaths: slipway was ‘slippery as ice’, witness tells inquest Buncrana pier deaths: man tells inquest of battle to rescue baby
(about 2 hours later)
Emergency services called after a car plunged off a pier in Ireland arrived within 12 minutes, a witness has told an inquest. An Irish man who was awarded a medal for bravery after saving a baby from drowning has recalled the harrowing moments when he saw the rest of the child’s family sink below the waters of a lough in County Donegal.
Five members of the same family from Derry, Northern Ireland, died when their SUV sank after sliding off a “slippery as ice” slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal, in March 2016. In a statement David Walsh, who swam out into Lough Swilly last year to rescue the infant from a sinking Audi jeep, told how he tried to save her older brother from drowning.
The inquest, which opened on Tuesday in Co Donegal in the Irish Republic, will hear two days of evidence. Walsh’s evidence was read out at the inquest into how five members of a Derry family drowned after the jeep they were travelling in slid off a pier at Buncrana on 20 March 2016.
Louise James’s husband Sean McGrotty died alongside their sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, her mother Ruth Daniels and her 14-year-old sister Jodie-Lee after their Audi Q7 slid off Buncrana pier into the waters of Lough Swilly. Louise McGrotty’s sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died alongside her husband Sean, her mother Ruth Daniels and her 14-year-old sister, Jodie-Lee, after their Audi jeep slid off Buncrana pier into the waters of the lough.
At the time of the tragedy James was returning from a weekend hen party in Liverpool when she learned about the deaths. At the time of the tragedy, Louise McGrotty was returning from a weekend hen party in Liverpool when she learned about the deaths.
Only her baby daughter, Rioghnach-Ann, survived thanks to the bravery of Davitt Walsh. He dived into the lough, swam to the sinking car and managed to rescue the infant from it before swimming back with the child to shore. Walsh has been awarded a gold medal for bravery at sea. Only her baby daughter Rioghnach-Ann survived thanks to the bravery of Walsh. He dived into the lough, swam to the sinking jeep and managed to rescue the infant before swimming back with the child to shore.
On Wednesday, Francis Crawford told the inquest, being held at the Lake of Shadows hotel in Buncrana, that by the time the RNLI lifesavers reached the scene the Derry family’s car had disappeared into Lough Swilly and the victims were floating in the water. At the inquest in the Lake of Shadows hotel in Buncrana on Wednesday, David Walsh’s testimony was read out. He said he heard “screaming and shouting” coming from the jeep.
There was no suggestion the speed of the response was inappropriate. He said: “I saw the driver trying to break the car window with his elbow, he broke the window. “I said to him: ‘Everyone needs to get out now.’ The father passed the baby out the window, he sat on the ledge with his hands on the roof – I had to reach up to get the baby.”
Crawford added: “The car was floating, bobbing in the water, 10 to 15 yards from the slipway, and slowly floating, bobbing off to the right of the slipway. Walsh described the car as “tilted with the front under the water and the back wheel up”.
“I could still hear people and the child screaming from the car, all the time the car must have been taking on water. He continued: “I then saw a young boy try to climb over the back of the driver’s seat. I grabbed him by the hand but he was caught on something. The water started to gush into the car, I still had the boy’s hand but the car went under the water, nose first.
“I was hoping that the emergency services would arrive and the car would not go down.” “I was struggling and had to let go. That was the last time I saw anyone else in the car. I had the baby in my hand and was trying to keep her above water, I swam the backstroke back to the car as this was the best way to keep the baby out of water.”
He added: “I could hear sirens, the nose of the car dipped … and the car sank to the bottom.” After swimming back with the baby and handing the child to his girlfriend, Walsh lay on the slipway, which he said was slippery with algae. He was later given a gold medal for bravery at sea by the Irish state.
Crawford had called the coastguards for help after Sean McGrotty urged him to seek emergency assistance. Earlier Francis Crawford, who first alerted the emergency services about the unfolding tragedy, said he too saw the pier from which the jeep slid off was slippery with algae.
The witness said it took 12 minutes for the RNLI to arrive. Green algae had covered the slipway. He added: “It was treacherous to walk on, slippery as ice.” He said he saw two adult bodies and a child’s body float to the surface of the water. Spotting the green algae, Crawford said: “As a local person, I knew not to drive down that far but someone who was unfamiliar with the area would not have known not to.”
His wife, Kay, told the inquest she too could hear screaming from the car.
In his opening remarks to the jury of five men and four women, the coroner Dr Denis McCauley said he and they had “an important solemn job to investigate the circumstances of a terrible tragedy”.In his opening remarks to the jury of five men and four women, the coroner Dr Denis McCauley said he and they had “an important solemn job to investigate the circumstances of a terrible tragedy”.
He revealed there were 69 depositions of evidence and 12 witnesses would be called to the inquest.He revealed there were 69 depositions of evidence and 12 witnesses would be called to the inquest.
The hearing continues.The hearing continues.