Family speak out after three sisters left 'seriously injured' in M9 horror crash
The family of three sisters who were left 'seriously injured' in a horror motorway crash when a car going the wrong way ploughed into them have spoken out.
Niamh and Alma Kinsella, and Ella Hendricken, and Alma's seven-year-old son, Yemi, were left with 'catastrophic' injuries in the collision on the M9, which left the five teenage males in the other car dead.
The crash happened when a BMW was driven on the wrong side of the motorway into oncoming traffic, meaning the Garda could not follow them.
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It then collided with a Hyundai, killing teenagers Jeremy O'Brien, 18, Alex McCarthy, 17, Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17.
The three sisters and little Yemi were said to be heading to Dublin airport to fly to the UK to attend a family wedding at the time of the crash.
A fundraiser that was was set up by a friend of one of the injured women said the family are “facing a long and challenging road ahead”.
The GoFundMe has raised €769,000 so far with the family now issuing a statement. In it, they thanked those who had donated for their 'kindness and generosity' and that their focus is 'on the girls and being together'.
It read: (We wanted to take a moment as a family to say a heartfelt thank you to every single person who has supported Ella, Niamh and Alma.
The kindness and generosity shown to our family has been truly overwhelming.
"From everyone who has donated, shared the fundraiser, sent messages, kept us in their thoughts or supported us in any way, please know how much it means to all of us."
They continued: "Right now, our focus is completely on the girls and being together as a family. We aren't ready to share any further details at this stage, and we really appreciate everyone continuing to respect our privacy.
"What we did want to do was personally acknowledge the incredible support we've received.
"Seeing so many people come together for the girls has meant more to us than we could ever properly put into words.
"Thank you for continuing to keep Ella, Niamh and Alma in your thoughts and for all the love and support you've shown our family. With love and gratitude."
Five teenagers in the other car, which was travelling the wrong way down the M9 motorway, all died in the collision.
The funerals of the five teenagers – Joe Carthy, Jack Kennedy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O’Brien and Kamil Pustkowski – have all taken place in recent days.
An investigation into the collision and the events which led up to the horror crash is currently underway, with the Irish Times reporting that Gardaí officers had received reports of the men allegedly attempting to break into homes and cars in the Athy area earlier that night.
Officers in a patrol car had later requested the black BMW to stop at around 2am on 16 August, but the car sped away and was driving down the motorway in the wrong direction.
The Garda Síochána, Ireland's primary police and security service, did not follow the car onto the motorway due to guidance on the risk of a head-on collision and were instead looking into alternative measures to stop the vehicle.
Topics: Ireland
James Holt