A heroic young mum killed in a horror smash
threw her baby daughter out of harm’s way
moments before the impact. Olivia Dunne, 31, died yesterday after a car
mounted the pavement in Balbriggan, North
Dublin, as she walked home from the shops
with baby Aoibhe in her pram. A family friend told the Irish Mirror : “Her husband Ciaran is inconsolable. Everything
changed in a split second.” Olivia, a primary school teacher from nearby
Balruddery, had been out walking little
Aoibhe when her life was cut short. In a moment of sheer courage and strength,
the new mother sacrificed herself to save
her five-month-old daughter. She had been standing on the path when a
car lost control and careered into her. But at the last second, she was able to throw
the pram out of the way so her little girl
sustained lesser injuries. Her husband Ciaran works close by and ran
to discover the horrific scene in front of him. But he could only watch as his wife was
pronounced dead and his daughter taken to
Temple Street Children’s Hospital. The infant
is understood to have suffered two broken
legs in the incident. A family friend told of the new father’s
devastation as Ciaran and the extended
family sat by little Aoibhe as she was treated. He said: “He had been so happy. Everything
was coming together for them and then this
happens. Aoibhe only came along a few
months ago and they were over the moon.” Aoibhe’s grandmother Heather was also
hospitalised after she heard the dreadful
news. The friend added: “Ciaran’s mum had to be
taken to the Mater Hospital when she found
out. She was just so shocked and couldn’t
handle it at all. “We’re all just speechless. We were only
celebrating their wedding about a year-and-
a-half ago.’ Local councillor Monica Harford said the
community was reeling from the tragedy. She said: “It is an absolutely terrible thing to
have happened. The whole area is shell-
shocked by it. They would be a well-known
family.” Police are now investigating the fatal crash
which happened on the main Dublin Road
into Balbriggan. The driver of the vehicle
was removed to Beaumont Hospital with non
life-threatening injuries.