Car crash baby is released from hospital

A seven-month-old girl taken from the wreckage of a Co Tipperary car crash which killed her mother and left her father critically…

A seven-month-old girl taken from the wreckage of a Co Tipperary car crash which killed her mother and left her father critically injured was discharged from hospital yesterday.

Baby Michaela's 20-year-old mother, Ms Katy Rossiter, died in the two-car collision near Cahir on Thursday afternoon which also claimed the lives of a Co Waterford couple, Mr Donal O'Dowda (45) and Ms Breda Neill (50).

Ms Rossiter's older sister was also released from Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, yesterday afternoon, but her partner, Mr Patrick Conneally, from Clogheen, Co Tipperary, remained in intensive care.

His condition was described last night as "critical but stable".

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Mr Conneally's nine-year-old sister, Ciara, who had to be cut from the wreckage, was transferred to Cork University Hospital.

It emerged yesterday that the accident happened after Mr Conneally collected Ms Rossiter, her sister and the couple's baby from Shannon Airport following a flight from the US.

Ms Rossiter, whose parents are from Cahir, but who was brought up in Illinois, was planning to settle in Ireland. Her sister had travelled with her for a visit.

Mr Conneally works with his father, Mr Pat Conneally, at a panel beating business near Clogheen. Mr Conneally snr and his wife, Mary, were at his bedside yesterday as they tried to prepare him for news of Katy's death.

Clogheen Parish Priest Father Sean Nugent said the tragedy was "a terrible upset" to the parish.

"I hadn't met Katy but she and her baby were very welcome to the community. It's a terrible loss," he said.

The two other people who died lived in Faithlegg, Co Waterford. Mr O'Dowda was from Co Louth and Ms Neill was a native of the area.

It is still unclear how the accident happened. The cars collided almost head-on at 2.45 p.m. on Thursday at Toureen about three miles from Cahir on the Cahir-Tipperary section of the Waterford-Limerick road.

Garda∅ repeated their appeal for witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cahir station on 052-45630.