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Ten years ago, Louise James returned from a hen weekend with an unsettling feeling that something tragic was about to happen. Upon arriving home, she learned that almost her entire family had drowned after the car they were travelling in slid off a pier following a day spent at the seaside. The devastating incident claimed the lives of her partner Sean McGrotty, aged 49, their two sons, Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, as well as Louise’s mother Ruth, 57, and her 14-year-old sister Jodie.
The lone survivor of the accident was Louise and Sean’s infant daughter, Rioghnach, who was just four months old at the time. She was rescued after being handed out of the submerged vehicle to a former footballer who bravely swam out to save her. Reflecting on the decade since the tragedy, Louise expressed a desire for the anniversary to be a celebration of the lives lost, cherishing the joyful memories they shared. She explained that she lives every day trying to ensure Rioghnach is happy, emphasizing that her daughter should not live “in the shadows” of her brothers or the sorrowful event.
The family’s day had begun in Buncrana, County Donegal, a place popular among visitors from Northern Ireland’s northwest, including their home in Londonderry. After spending the day there on 20 March 2016, tragedy struck when their Audi Q7 slid down the slipway of a pier and plunged into Lough Swilly. Despite efforts to save them, all but Rioghnach drowned. Louise was in Belfast after returning from her hen weekend in Liverpool when she received the heartbreaking call. She recalls the moment vividly, saying, “I didn’t want to come home. I just wanted to end my life there and then.” However, her brother encouraged her to hold on, assuring her Rioghnach was alive in hospital.
An inquest held at the end of 2017 concluded that the family died due to misadventure. A police officer testified that the pier’s slipway was “extremely slippery with thick algae,” a factor Louise believes contributed to the accident and that could have been prevented by proper cleaning. “I’m angry because the slipway wasn’t cleaned,” she stated, insisting the council could have acted to avert the incident. While Donegal County Council referred inquiries to the Coroner’s office, a pathologist at the inquest was unable to confirm the exact impact of alcohol on the driver. The jury recommended that Irish Water Safety and other bodies take a more active role in enforcing safety measures on piers and slipways.
Louise expressed profound gratitude toward the former footballer who saved Rioghnach and the emergency services’ tireless efforts that day. To honour those lost, a 5K memorial walk was planned in Buncrana, with Louise encouraging participants to wear red and white in remembrance. She hopes the event will be a celebration of life and love, reflecting the spirit of her family. “Every memory I have is happy. Every picture I have they are smiling,” she said. “They’re carrying on. They loved life. They loved each other and that’s what it’s about. It’s about loving life and living it.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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