Heartbroken sister pays tribute to pregnant woman who died 10 days after Galway crash
‘If love and tears could have brought you back to us you would have come because you have a family that loved you so much’
Irene Lynch
Heartbreaking tributes have been paid to a woman in her 30s who died in hospital after the car she was travelling in entered a turlough close to the River Corrib ten days ago.
The incident happened shortly before 7am on Friday, March 15, in the village of Mionloc at Menlo Pier on the outskirts of Galway city.
The woman, who has been named locally as mother of two Irene Lynch (34), from Athlone in Co Westmeath, was a front-seat passenger in the vehicle, had been brought to University Hospital Galway following the crash. Ms Lynch, who was pregnant with her third child, died from her injuries in hospital on Monday evening.
In a moving post on social media her sister Marcella Romaine Lynch wrote: ‘’My heart is broken beyond repair. Irene my beautiful baby sister, how does life go on without you, I don’t even know how it’s possible.
"For 10 days we watched you lie there praying for you to be okay, but unfortunately God had other plans for you and your little baby, my niece or nephew. If love and tears could have brought you back to us you would have come because you have a family that loved you so much.
"Mammy and Daddy are devastated. They brought you into this world and they held your hands while you took your last breath while we all your family were there beside you."
She added ‘’You’re our guardian angel now and a beautiful one at that. Sleep tight and give Lauren a big kiss for me when you get to the gates of heaven.
"It was the hardest thing I ever had to deal with losing you.. But one day we will meet u again Mammy Daddy, Dympna, Marcella, Marina, Naomi, Patrick, Stephen and Breen. We all love you. I promise you that we will take care of Daniel and Isobel for you.”
The driver, a man in his 40s, was also brought to hospital at the time for injuries not thought to be life-threatening.
The incident happened on a stretch of road adjacent to a turlough, known locally as An Lochán. No other vehicles were involved. The car - a Dacia Duster - hit a wall before careering across the narrow road and crashing through a low wall, adjacent to the flood plain. On hitting the wall, the vehicle overturned and landed upside down in the water.
Gardaí have appealed for any witnesses to the crash to come forward, and have asked those with any camera footage to make it available.
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