'Her phone kept ringing out,' Tipperary family torn apart after fatal car crash

The joyous family life of the English family, who live in Clonmel, was torn apart so suddenly and in such horrific circumstances.

One minute, they were all enjoying a memorable holiday, and the next, their lives were brutally torn apart by the most horrific loss of their cherished eldest child.

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Parents Michael and Danielle and their four children, Bronagh, Mia, Mikey and David, had just returned from a short skiing trip with other families.

24 hours later their lives changed forever following the tragic events that occurred on a rural road in Tipperary.

The night of the accident, Michael was out of the country on business in Malta. He was attending a function to receive a European Union start-up business of the year award.

On the day of the accident, Bronagh had taken grinds as she was preparing for her Leaving Certificate exams.

That Thursday evening at about 8pm, Bronagh went to meet friends to catch up with them after the holiday.

Bronagh was dropping a friend off at a house in Kilmoyler outside Cahir, and was driving on a road she had never travelled before.

That evening, before starting to drive home at about five minutes to ten, Bronagh texted her mother Danielle and said she would be home in twenty minutes.

“I expected her home, but it went on, and after about forty minutes, I was concerned and I rang her, but the phone kept ringing out. I knew straight away something was wrong. If Bronagh said she would be home before she would be home,” said the heartbroken mother.

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Danielle decided to drive to Kilmoyler on her own, fearing the worst.
She was driving around on backroads between Cahir and Bansha, unable to see Bronagh’s car before she contacted the family that Bronagh had called to earlier.

“The family came out onto the main road to meet me, and we saw gardaí going up the road, and we followed them up,” Danielle.

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Bronagh’s car was in water in the River Aherlow after her car had left the road at Kilmoyler Bridge.

Danielle spent the next five hours on the roadside as the emergency services dealt with the situation.

The beautiful family life that the English had lived would never be the same again.