Girl suffered catastrophic injuries in a freak accident while on her way home after attending school in Clonmel
An appeal to help the family of a 13-year-old girl who suffered catastrophic injuries in a freak accident as she returned home from school has been launched.
The happy family life of the Kennedy family living in Glasha, Ballymacarbry was thrown into turmoil on Thursday, April 7.
Aisling, a student at the Presentation Secondary School in Clonmel, was left fighting for her life after she was struck by the wing mirror of a van shortly after she got off the school bus that brought her home.
Aisling had leaned out from behind the school bus when she was struck in the head by the wing mirror of a passing van in a freak accident.
Fighting for her life, Aisling was airlifted to Temple Street hospital in Dublin and her parents Tom and Louise have been beside her side since.
“It was a pure accident. The school bus came to the top of the road and Aisling got off. She leaned out from the back of the bus and was clipped by a wing mirror of a passing van on the head. There was no fault on anyone, the driver of the van could do nothing about it. It was just a freak accident,” said her father Tom.
Tom said the family will always be grateful for paramedics who came to Aisling’s assistance at the scene and all of the people involved in the emergency services who cared for Aisling and airlifted her to Dublin.
He also paid tribute to the medical team at Temple Street in Dublin for the wonderful care they have given Aisling over the last few weeks.
Aisling, who is the youngest of three sisters, was 13 in December last and she started secondary school last September.
She played U14 football for Ballymacarbry ladies and did gymnastics in Newcastle.
“Aisling was very excited to start secondary school and had made a lot of new friends. Aisling was very outgoing and sporty. The people in Temple Street are amazing and are giving her incredible care,” said Tom, who is originally from the Thurles area.
His wife Louise, (née Boyle), is from Ballymacarbry and the family are settled in Glasha. They have two other girls, Eimear and Aoife. Tom works as a salesman and Louise is a teacher in Callan.
Jim Kennedy, an uncle of Aisling who has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the family, said Aisling suffered major brain damage as a result of the accident.
The community has responded by raising over €33,000 and on Sunday, June 5 a fundraising event will be held in Lonergans pub in Clonmel.
A day of music and entertainment will start at 11am and all are welcome.