Woman struck by car outside Waterford coffee shop in ‘terrifying’ incident

A woman was struck by a car while waiting outside a coffee shop in Co Waterford, it has been revealed.

Olivia Hunt, who is originally from Roscommon, suffered serious injuries in the incident that occurred in Dunmore East in June 2023.

Dr Paul Campbell, who volunteers with the CRITICAL charity during his spare time, was one of the first responders to arrive at the scene.

The Dunmore East based doctor assessed Ms Hunt’s injuries, administered painkillers and stabilised her before she was brought to hospital.

Now, Ms Hunt is appealing to people to donate to the charity and support life-saving emergency care in communities across Ireland this Christmas.

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She stated: “When Paul arrived, he brought a sense of calm to what was a terrifying situation.

“He was only a couple of hundred metres away when he got the call and took control straight away.

“I was in shock and had suffered multiple fractures to my pelvis and lower back but Paul brought his medical expertise, pain medication and incredible care.

“Paul, the paramedics and the fire crews were like my guardian angels that day.”

Ms Hunt added that CRITICAL needs the support of local communities if it is to carry on its work.

“Accidents happen every single day of the week and who would you want to be there with your husband, wife or child if something happened?

“I want that person to have the same access to care that I had. CRITICAL is a voluntary organisation and needs our support to equip volunteers in more locations across Ireland.

“How special would it feel to help someone in their most vulnerable moment? CRITICAL is doing that through their first responders and emergency medical responders.”

Dr Paul Campbell also commented on the incident in question.

He stated: “When I arrived on the scene that day, my priority was to get Olivia the care she needed as quickly and as safely as possible.

“I volunteer with CRITICAL because I’ve seen first-hand how vital this service is for people in our communities.

“The equipment and the vehicle I rely on are all made possible through donations.”

Dr Campbell thanked Ms Hunt for her support, which is helping the charity to continue to provide care in the community.

He said: “It is great to see how well Olivia is doing after her accident and would like to wish her the best for ongoing recovery.

“I would also like to thank Olivia and her husband Eugene for the support they give to CRITICAL.

“The money they have raised will help the charity’s volunteers continue to provide urgent care in the community at a time of need.”

David Tighe, Chief Executive of CRITICAL, also thanked Ms Hunt for sharing her story and highlighted the work the charity is doing.

Mr Tighe said: “We are very grateful to Olivia for deciding to tell her story. She is just one example of the thousands of people our volunteers have responded to in recent years.

“Our network of highly-skilled volunteers is growing across Ireland and that’s only possible thanks to fundraising and donations.

“So far this year, we have responded to more than 1,600 calls, which is an annual increase of almost 25%.”

He also brought attention to the charity’s Christmas campaign to spread awareness of their work across the country.

“Our Christmas campaign is called ‘Every Light a Life’ and it's about celebrating our volunteers and the amazing work that they do day in, day out, 365 days a year right across the island of Ireland.

“One of the main reasons they volunteer is because they want to make a difference within their communities.

“It doesn't matter whether they are doctors like Paul or community first responders who train to respond to cardiac arrests and strokes, they all have a huge impact.”

CRITICAL recently launched its new Christmas campaign to light up 1,308 lights, one for every call answered in 2024.

Donors can sponsor a light from now until Christmas Day in support of the charity’s life-saving work and can also dedicate it in honour or remembrance of someone special.