Road traffic victims remembered at Cork ceremony

A teddy bear named Mollie was placed on the altar at a remembrance ceremony for road traffic victims in Co Cork on Sunday, in memory of an unborn baby girl who was killed alongside her mother in a car crash.

Mary Enright (28), from Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, was heavily pregnant when she died in the crash near Bansha, Co Tipperary, on March 26th, 2012.

Mary's father, David Walsh, successfully campaigned to have her unborn child "Mollie" placed on the register of road traffic deaths.

At the ceremony on Sunday, Mr Walsh remembered his daughter and spoke of his campaign to mark the death of his granddaughter.

“Today is the first day an unborn child has been recognised in the road traffic deaths. She was included in the 2012 figures this year so it took us four years to get it done. The stats for 2012 didn’t include Mollie.

“I always say we buried two people. Mary was 32-weeks’ pregnant and Mollie died as a result of the road crash.”

Mr Walsh joined the Parc Road Safety Group following his daughter’s death.

He said the group is a club that no parent wants to join.

“Mary was just married and this was to be her first child. They say time is the thing and it helps you cope a bit better.

“You try and help other people in the same club.

“We hope to get a separate register for unborn children who die in road traffic crashes.”

Mr Walsh said Mary "was involved in the business with me. It is like a part of me missing. She was only 28. She was doing a good turn for somebody the same night bringing them back to Limerick. The person in the other car died as well.

“When you lose someone like this you have one person missing at the table every day. At this stage, four years later, maybe Mary would have had two more children. So that is five missing in a circle. It is a huge loss.”

Day of remembrance

More than 200 people attended the ceremony in Fermoy, Co Cork, organised by Parc to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Butterfly ornaments were placed on birch trees at the service at the Loreto Sports Complex in memory of all those who have lost their lives in the last year.

The Garda choir also sang at the ceremony.

Members of the gardaí, fire and ambulance services were in attendance, as was Chief Supt Aidan Reid from the National Traffic Bureau.

A special guide to assist the families of victims of road traffic accidents was also launched at the service by Chief Supt Reid.

Ann Fogarty, of Parc, who lost her husband Ed in an incident in June 2001, said the ceremony was all about paying tribute to those who had lost their lives prematurely.

“This is a special day we set aside each year to remember all those whose lives have been blighted by road traffic collisions. It is a day we thank the emergency services.

“It is also a day that we reflect on our own behaviour on the road to examine if we are putting any lives at risk.”