21 MONTH OLD TODDLER BORE BRUNT OF BOMB EXPLOSION
21 month old toddler bore brunt of bomb explosion
By MICHELE CANNING
Mother in coma for two months
THE badly injured mother of a toddler killed in the Omagh bombing did not know her daughter was dead until two months after the funeral, the
Inquest has heard.
Tracey Devine, the mother of 21 month old Breda Devine, from Dunamanagh, was herself seriously injured in the explosion and was unconscious for eight weeks in Intensive Care.
Mrs Devine had gone to Omagh that day with her youngest child to buy her a pair of shoes. Accompanying them on the shopping trip was Tracey's brother Garry McGillion and his fiancee Donna Marie Keys.
Garry McGillion told the Court that they had left Donna Marie's house at 2.45pm and gone into town to Clarke's shoe shop at Market Street buy his niece Breda a pair of shoes. They knew there was a bombscare.
Donna Marie was pushing Breda in her buggy and she and Garry crossed the road, followed closely behind by Tracey.
Witness told how as they passed between Mr Gs and Hyper he felt a 'massive electric shock.'
"I remember flying through the air hitting the road face first. Everything was black. I could feel myself burning and I put the fire out by tearing my shirt off.
"There was a long dead silence followed by roaring, screaming and shouting."
Mr McGillion told how his thoughts went to his niece Breda and he began to search for her.
"I found Donna Marie but she did not respond. She was still holding the buggy which was covered in rubble and a shop sign. I tried to lift the sign but couldn't.
"I shouted for help and again tried to lift the sign and did so."
Mr McGillion said his niece was still in the buggy and her face was blackened and he realised he needed to get Breda medical help.
He took her out of the buggy and could hear her breathing although it appeared panicky. He ran towards the Northern bank where a policeman took his niece.
Coroner - This very graphic description conveys the horror of it all. You yourself were physically injured.
Mr McGillion - yes, the injuries are still there and I have had a lot of treatment, we are getting there, it is a long haul.
Dr Qureshi, the locum consultant anaesthetist told how Breda Devine was among the first of the bomb blast victims to be brought to the Tyrone County Hospital.
He told the inquest that the toddler had been brought in unconscious with burns on her face and body.
She was intubated and CPR was carried out but she did not respond.
Dr Qureshi said the toddler was almost dead and efforts made by staff were realistically futile.
He agreed that it was heartbreaking to see a little baby having her life taken from her.
The inquest heard from Dr Derek Carson, Deputy State Pathologist that a head injury had caused the death of the toddler.
He said the injuries had suggested that she was reasonably close to the explosion, adding that she would have survived had it not been for the head injury she sustained.
Dr Carson said she had not suffered at all.
Solicitor for the Devine family, Oliver Roache said it seemed to be the case that each family that has been bereaved has had their own tragic story which does not appear in the documents of the Inquest.
Tracey Devine, he said, sustained very bad injuries in the bomb, and had spent eight weeks in Intensive Care unconscious.
"When she came around she remembered nothing and it was only then that the grieving process began for her daughter who had been buried two months before. Then she learned that her brother and his fiancee were also injured very seriously."
He said such a scenario was beyond belief and description, and he found it difficult to find words to describe how Tracey Devine must have felt.
He said the family expressed their sincere and heartfelt thanks to anyone who comforted Breda.
While he said it would be wrong to single anyone out, mention must be made of Breda's uncle Garry and traffic warden Rosemary Ingram who were more concerned with Breda than themselves.
Coroner, John Leckey said while the thoughts of everyone were principally with Breda at the Inquest, he wanted to recognise the ongoing suffering of her mother and the other members of the family who were grievously injured.
"There is nothing so dreadful as the death of a child in the family," he said, adding that anyone who was a parent would know the point he was endeavouring to make.
"The death of a child is a dreadful occurrence, no family can ever recover completely. I hope that with the passage of time the Devine family will lead some form of normal life in the future."
By MICHELE CANNING
Mother in coma for two months
THE badly injured mother of a toddler killed in the Omagh bombing did not know her daughter was dead until two months after the funeral, the
Inquest has heard.
Tracey Devine, the mother of 21 month old Breda Devine, from Dunamanagh, was herself seriously injured in the explosion and was unconscious for eight weeks in Intensive Care.
Mrs Devine had gone to Omagh that day with her youngest child to buy her a pair of shoes. Accompanying them on the shopping trip was Tracey's brother Garry McGillion and his fiancee Donna Marie Keys.
Garry McGillion told the Court that they had left Donna Marie's house at 2.45pm and gone into town to Clarke's shoe shop at Market Street buy his niece Breda a pair of shoes. They knew there was a bombscare.
Donna Marie was pushing Breda in her buggy and she and Garry crossed the road, followed closely behind by Tracey.
Witness told how as they passed between Mr Gs and Hyper he felt a 'massive electric shock.'
"I remember flying through the air hitting the road face first. Everything was black. I could feel myself burning and I put the fire out by tearing my shirt off.
"There was a long dead silence followed by roaring, screaming and shouting."
Mr McGillion told how his thoughts went to his niece Breda and he began to search for her.
"I found Donna Marie but she did not respond. She was still holding the buggy which was covered in rubble and a shop sign. I tried to lift the sign but couldn't.
"I shouted for help and again tried to lift the sign and did so."
Mr McGillion said his niece was still in the buggy and her face was blackened and he realised he needed to get Breda medical help.
He took her out of the buggy and could hear her breathing although it appeared panicky. He ran towards the Northern bank where a policeman took his niece.
Coroner - This very graphic description conveys the horror of it all. You yourself were physically injured.
Mr McGillion - yes, the injuries are still there and I have had a lot of treatment, we are getting there, it is a long haul.
Dr Qureshi, the locum consultant anaesthetist told how Breda Devine was among the first of the bomb blast victims to be brought to the Tyrone County Hospital.
He told the inquest that the toddler had been brought in unconscious with burns on her face and body.
She was intubated and CPR was carried out but she did not respond.
Dr Qureshi said the toddler was almost dead and efforts made by staff were realistically futile.
He agreed that it was heartbreaking to see a little baby having her life taken from her.
The inquest heard from Dr Derek Carson, Deputy State Pathologist that a head injury had caused the death of the toddler.
He said the injuries had suggested that she was reasonably close to the explosion, adding that she would have survived had it not been for the head injury she sustained.
Dr Carson said she had not suffered at all.
Solicitor for the Devine family, Oliver Roache said it seemed to be the case that each family that has been bereaved has had their own tragic story which does not appear in the documents of the Inquest.
Tracey Devine, he said, sustained very bad injuries in the bomb, and had spent eight weeks in Intensive Care unconscious.
"When she came around she remembered nothing and it was only then that the grieving process began for her daughter who had been buried two months before. Then she learned that her brother and his fiancee were also injured very seriously."
He said such a scenario was beyond belief and description, and he found it difficult to find words to describe how Tracey Devine must have felt.
He said the family expressed their sincere and heartfelt thanks to anyone who comforted Breda.
While he said it would be wrong to single anyone out, mention must be made of Breda's uncle Garry and traffic warden Rosemary Ingram who were more concerned with Breda than themselves.
Coroner, John Leckey said while the thoughts of everyone were principally with Breda at the Inquest, he wanted to recognise the ongoing suffering of her mother and the other members of the family who were grievously injured.
"There is nothing so dreadful as the death of a child in the family," he said, adding that anyone who was a parent would know the point he was endeavouring to make.
"The death of a child is a dreadful occurrence, no family can ever recover completely. I hope that with the passage of time the Devine family will lead some form of normal life in the future."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1484
Published Date: 28-Sep-00
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