COMPENSATION SYSTEM LACKS COMPASSION OMAGH BOMB VICTIM
Compensation system 'lacks compassion' - Omagh bomb survivor
by Julie Moore
OMAGH bomb survivor, Donna-Marie McGillion, has criticised the current system of obtaining compensation for her injuries, stating that it 'lacks compassion' and thought for victims of atrocities, such as the 1998 car bomb attack which changed her life forever.
Donna-Marie suffered 65 per cent third degree burns to her legs, face and body as a result of the atrocity, which claimed the lives of 29 people and unborn twins on August 5, 1998.
In the first eight years after the bomb she underwent a number of surgeries and attended countless medical appointments, while she tried to piece her life back together.
Although the town of Omagh marked the 12th anniversary of the bomb two weeks ago, the mother of two says she has yet to receive a single penny of compensation for the injuries she incurred on that fateful day.
With the question of compensation still looming over her, Donna-Marie has said she has never been able to fully move on from what happened in Omagh 12 years ago.
"It is just taking so long," she told the Tyrone Constitution. "It has been one thing after another. It is tough.
"I have no control over this process at all - after the bomb I had control over where I was going - trying to get myself better - but I don't have any control over this."
Blaming 'red tape' for the constant delay in compensation, Donna-Marie said the whole process had left her feeling uncomfortable - 'like you are begging'.
She said: "The whole system just lacks compassion, they have no idea what it's like to be a victim or a survivor of something like the Omagh bomb. I have nothing against civil servants, they work hard, but they sit in an office in Belfast '9 to 5' and make decisions about my life when they don't even know me, nor have they ever met me.
"It is just a slow process - it makes you feel like you are begging - it is very uncomfortable and very wrong - at the end of the day I didn't ask for lunatics to drive a bomb into our town, this is not my fault, I didn't ask for this." Donna-Marie still has shrapnel lodged in the top of her spine from the car bomb attack which can affect the use of her arms.
"Sometimes I can lose power in the arms and other times the pain to move the arms can be excruciating," she said, "I also have shrapnel lodged behind my knee."
Despite her injuries, Donna-Marie has found happiness with her husband and two children, Cara and Cormac.
"They help a lot," she said, "I never move away from the bomb - I look in the mirror every day and it is there. I deal with the demons of the bomb every day, but my children help me cope with it.
"Immediately after the bomb I was in a coma for six-and-a-half-weeks. I feel like I have spent so much time fighting - fighting to live, fighting to get better - I seem to be constantly fighting. I would just like to be able to enjoy a tranquil life now but this process holds you there - you live in that zone while it is still going on. You can't plan for the future. I know I can't ever work again - that has been confirmed - but I can't really plan anything, it is very frustrating."
by Julie Moore
OMAGH bomb survivor, Donna-Marie McGillion, has criticised the current system of obtaining compensation for her injuries, stating that it 'lacks compassion' and thought for victims of atrocities, such as the 1998 car bomb attack which changed her life forever.
Donna-Marie suffered 65 per cent third degree burns to her legs, face and body as a result of the atrocity, which claimed the lives of 29 people and unborn twins on August 5, 1998.
In the first eight years after the bomb she underwent a number of surgeries and attended countless medical appointments, while she tried to piece her life back together.
Although the town of Omagh marked the 12th anniversary of the bomb two weeks ago, the mother of two says she has yet to receive a single penny of compensation for the injuries she incurred on that fateful day.
With the question of compensation still looming over her, Donna-Marie has said she has never been able to fully move on from what happened in Omagh 12 years ago.
"It is just taking so long," she told the Tyrone Constitution. "It has been one thing after another. It is tough.
"I have no control over this process at all - after the bomb I had control over where I was going - trying to get myself better - but I don't have any control over this."
Blaming 'red tape' for the constant delay in compensation, Donna-Marie said the whole process had left her feeling uncomfortable - 'like you are begging'.
She said: "The whole system just lacks compassion, they have no idea what it's like to be a victim or a survivor of something like the Omagh bomb. I have nothing against civil servants, they work hard, but they sit in an office in Belfast '9 to 5' and make decisions about my life when they don't even know me, nor have they ever met me.
"It is just a slow process - it makes you feel like you are begging - it is very uncomfortable and very wrong - at the end of the day I didn't ask for lunatics to drive a bomb into our town, this is not my fault, I didn't ask for this." Donna-Marie still has shrapnel lodged in the top of her spine from the car bomb attack which can affect the use of her arms.
"Sometimes I can lose power in the arms and other times the pain to move the arms can be excruciating," she said, "I also have shrapnel lodged behind my knee."
Despite her injuries, Donna-Marie has found happiness with her husband and two children, Cara and Cormac.
"They help a lot," she said, "I never move away from the bomb - I look in the mirror every day and it is there. I deal with the demons of the bomb every day, but my children help me cope with it.
"Immediately after the bomb I was in a coma for six-and-a-half-weeks. I feel like I have spent so much time fighting - fighting to live, fighting to get better - I seem to be constantly fighting. I would just like to be able to enjoy a tranquil life now but this process holds you there - you live in that zone while it is still going on. You can't plan for the future. I know I can't ever work again - that has been confirmed - but I can't really plan anything, it is very frustrating."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/2000
Published Date: 26-Aug-10
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