Chapter Eleven - ‘The Crash’
Mary’s philosophy altered significantly during her twenty-second year of life, when her world was shattered beyond all recognition! It was the 7th October 2000; the day when her life came crashing down around her and the cruel reality of a family crisis shook her senseless.
During the previous four years, Mary had trained to become a nurse. There was a bad flu virus that hit Clonmel that month and all medical staff at the hospital were being asked to work extra shifts to keep on top of it.
While Mary had originally booked off work to attend the Hurley Final with all the family in Dublin, she just didn’t feel it to be the right thing to do at a time when her presence was needed more elsewhere.
For a few days beforehand, she considered what was the best thing to do as she wrestled with her conscience. Should she let down her family or her overstretched work colleagues?In the end, her conscience and Christian duty told her that not to work that extra shift alongside her colleagues, already a skeleton staff, would be to let the team down. So, she told her parents and siblings to go without her this year. Her family were naturally disappointed; it being the only occasion in the past seven years when they all hadn’t travelled to Croke Park together, but her parents understood.
As the family set off on their travels to Croke Park in the bus to see Kerry and Galway play in the ‘All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final’, Mary was changing bedpans, taking blood samples, and attending to patients needs in her place of work at the ‘South Tipperary General Hospital’. There were several hospitals in and around Clonmel, and Mary worked at their biggest and busiest.
As Mary worked that day, her entire family of mother, father and six siblings were travelling by special coach to Dublin from Clonmel and return. Her father had planned and prepared for this family trip all year long to watch his favourite sport of Hurley at championship level.
During the previous four years, Mary had trained to become a nurse. There was a bad flu virus that hit Clonmel that month and all medical staff at the hospital were being asked to work extra shifts to keep on top of it.
While Mary had originally booked off work to attend the Hurley Final with all the family in Dublin, she just didn’t feel it to be the right thing to do at a time when her presence was needed more elsewhere.
For a few days beforehand, she considered what was the best thing to do as she wrestled with her conscience. Should she let down her family or her overstretched work colleagues?In the end, her conscience and Christian duty told her that not to work that extra shift alongside her colleagues, already a skeleton staff, would be to let the team down. So, she told her parents and siblings to go without her this year. Her family were naturally disappointed; it being the only occasion in the past seven years when they all hadn’t travelled to Croke Park together, but her parents understood.
As the family set off on their travels to Croke Park in the bus to see Kerry and Galway play in the ‘All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final’, Mary was changing bedpans, taking blood samples, and attending to patients needs in her place of work at the ‘South Tipperary General Hospital’. There were several hospitals in and around Clonmel, and Mary worked at their biggest and busiest.
As Mary worked that day, her entire family of mother, father and six siblings were travelling by special coach to Dublin from Clonmel and return. Her father had planned and prepared for this family trip all year long to watch his favourite sport of Hurley at championship level.
~~~~~
On their way back, the bus route would take them through Waterford and Kilkenny, dropping off a few other passengers along the way, before heading towards Clonmel, its major and final stopping point, during the late evening.
The bus dropped off three passengers at Carlow and then returned to the M8 and proceeded towards Clonmel. Like most other travellers on the bus, despite having watched a wonderful Hurley Final, the Fanning family were tired and eager to get back home.
About half an hour away from their Clonmel drop-off point, Mary’s mother phoned her daughter to say they’d be back home soon. Mary was in the bath at the time of her mother’s phone call and the call automatically went to message recorder.
Before Mary’s mother could end her call, there was a massive concertina collision involving one coach, three lorries and twelve cars. The coach carrying all of Mary’s family swerved to avoid crashing into the back of a lorry and careered through a barrier and down a bank and overturned, before bursting into flames from a leaking fuel pipe, while up above, a dozen cars crashed into one another in rapid succession.
Over twenty passengers (the ones who weren’t wearing their seat belts), were thrown from their seats of the coach and ended up crippled or badly injured as they lay in a crumpled mass; and a few were miraculously okay. One person still alive after the crash, who also wasn’t wearing his seat belt, was the coach driver. As the coach careered down the embankment, he had the sense to open the coach doors and jumped for his life!
Within seconds of having careered down the banking and crashing in flames, two brave men from the motorway nearby risked their own lives by boarding the blazing bus and pulling out the first half dozen passengers they could reach before the fuel tank suddenly exploded. Fifty-six people from the sixty-two passengers on the coach had no chance and were later left as burnt corpses to identify.
It was the worst traffic accident recorded since the M8 had been built. A total of seventy-seven people died in the multiple crash that day, including all eight of Mary’s family who were seated immediately above the fuel tank as the bus exploded.
The coach, being the only vehicle to overturn, catch fire and explode, had the highest number of casualties from the total deaths in the multiple pile up.
The death of every family member was to have a dramatic impact on young Mary Fanning. Since coming home from her work that day and having taken a shower, everyone Mary Fanning ever loved and felt close to had been wiped out in a moment of motorway madness.
Mary was left traumatised for the better part of the following year; and even eight years later, the emotional scars of her bereavement and the gravity of her huge loss were still present. Even the acute level of loss and misery she felt at the death of her parents and siblings was added to during the years ahead.
The bus dropped off three passengers at Carlow and then returned to the M8 and proceeded towards Clonmel. Like most other travellers on the bus, despite having watched a wonderful Hurley Final, the Fanning family were tired and eager to get back home.
About half an hour away from their Clonmel drop-off point, Mary’s mother phoned her daughter to say they’d be back home soon. Mary was in the bath at the time of her mother’s phone call and the call automatically went to message recorder.
Before Mary’s mother could end her call, there was a massive concertina collision involving one coach, three lorries and twelve cars. The coach carrying all of Mary’s family swerved to avoid crashing into the back of a lorry and careered through a barrier and down a bank and overturned, before bursting into flames from a leaking fuel pipe, while up above, a dozen cars crashed into one another in rapid succession.
Over twenty passengers (the ones who weren’t wearing their seat belts), were thrown from their seats of the coach and ended up crippled or badly injured as they lay in a crumpled mass; and a few were miraculously okay. One person still alive after the crash, who also wasn’t wearing his seat belt, was the coach driver. As the coach careered down the embankment, he had the sense to open the coach doors and jumped for his life!
Within seconds of having careered down the banking and crashing in flames, two brave men from the motorway nearby risked their own lives by boarding the blazing bus and pulling out the first half dozen passengers they could reach before the fuel tank suddenly exploded. Fifty-six people from the sixty-two passengers on the coach had no chance and were later left as burnt corpses to identify.
It was the worst traffic accident recorded since the M8 had been built. A total of seventy-seven people died in the multiple crash that day, including all eight of Mary’s family who were seated immediately above the fuel tank as the bus exploded.
The coach, being the only vehicle to overturn, catch fire and explode, had the highest number of casualties from the total deaths in the multiple pile up.
The death of every family member was to have a dramatic impact on young Mary Fanning. Since coming home from her work that day and having taken a shower, everyone Mary Fanning ever loved and felt close to had been wiped out in a moment of motorway madness.
Mary was left traumatised for the better part of the following year; and even eight years later, the emotional scars of her bereavement and the gravity of her huge loss were still present. Even the acute level of loss and misery she felt at the death of her parents and siblings was added to during the years ahead.
~~~~~
Mary Lanigan had grown into adulthood holding a strong view that people made their own good fortune in this life through the nature of the decisions they made, both large and small. This was a philosophical view that the death of her family was to reinforce.
Nobody had made her parents choose to travel back home in the busy traffic by coach after the ‘All-Ireland’ match. They could have chosen to spend the night in Dublin, had they wished to, and come back the next day when the roads wouldn’t have been as busy.
Her father’s cousin Martin would have been only too pleased to put them up overnight and drive them all back the following morning in his nine-seater Chevrolet Tahoe. Cousin Martin was a very successful business man and would have gladly made the run from Dublin to Clonmel, if only to show off his lovely Chevrolet that had cost him almost £40,000 last year, and which he’d purchased outright.
Mary knew that only her mother’s eagerness to get back that same day, would have persuaded her husband and the rest of the family to return by coach that night, instead of staying over at cousin Martin’s Dublin house.
Nobody had made her parents choose to travel back home in the busy traffic by coach after the ‘All-Ireland’ match. They could have chosen to spend the night in Dublin, had they wished to, and come back the next day when the roads wouldn’t have been as busy.
Her father’s cousin Martin would have been only too pleased to put them up overnight and drive them all back the following morning in his nine-seater Chevrolet Tahoe. Cousin Martin was a very successful business man and would have gladly made the run from Dublin to Clonmel, if only to show off his lovely Chevrolet that had cost him almost £40,000 last year, and which he’d purchased outright.
Mary knew that only her mother’s eagerness to get back that same day, would have persuaded her husband and the rest of the family to return by coach that night, instead of staying over at cousin Martin’s Dublin house.
~~~~~
The news of the family’s deaths was conveyed to Mary at home one and a half hours after the crash. Mary had returned from her work at the hospital around 6.30 pm; totally exhausted. After having a quick wash and a ham sandwich, she went to lie down and get a few hours’ sleep before her noisy family returned.
Mary knew that once they got back, her father and siblings would want to recount every momentous moment of today’s match as they told her repeatedly what a wicked game she’d missed.
At precisely 9.00 pm a heavy knock was sounded on the door and thinking her family to be back, Mary opened it. Standing there were two Garda, a man, and a woman; the female being not much older than herself. Each held their caps in their hands respectfully and maintained a solemnness of face that indicated the possible content of the news they carried.
Before the male Garda spoke, Mary had a terrible premonition of some accident that had happened. This premonition had undoubtedly been aided by the vising Garda holding their headgear instead of wearing it.
“Oh, my God! What is it. Not a family member hurt is it?”, Mary asked anxiously.
Before answering her anxious inquiry, the male Garda said, “Can we come in please. What I’ve to tell you is best heard sitting down and not on the doorstep.”
Mary showed the two visitors into the lounge, fearing as she did so that their message was worse than she’d initially feared, and that someone had died.
“I’m afraid…,” said the female Garda as she held Mary’s hand, “that the news is bad… as bad as it gets!”
Mary’s heart started to pound as she asked, “Is… has someone died?”
Before she next spoke, the woman Garda took her hand from Mary’s, placed it around her shoulder and looking her straight in the eye said in unfaltering words, “I’m sorry to have to tell you that less than an hour ago on the M8, shortly before coming into Clonmel, the bus that your family were travelling back from Dublin in was involved in a multiple collision on the motorway. It crashed down an embankment and instantly caught fire, before exploding. Everyone on board, except the driver and six of the other passengers died in the crash.”
The messenger paused and took a few deep breaths before continuing.
“Just tell me!” Mary demanded. “I’m a nurse and I want to know. Who died? Tell me! Who in my family was killed; which one?”
Poor Mary was so distraught by the information that the female Garda had just given her that it didn’t register that only six passengers and the bus driver survived the crash.
At this point the most senior officer spoke. “Not one…or two, but all eight members of your family, Miss Fanning, were killed instantly. I’m so sorry to be the one to break such sad news, but that is our information according to the verified list of bus passengers.”
Mary couldn’t take in the enormity of what she was hearing; she didn’t want to take it in! Holding both hands to cover her ears she opened her mouth and after a few moments silence of being unable to voice her cry, she screamed, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God. Poor Mammy and Da! All my brothers and sisters killed with one cruel blow just because of some faking football match and the rush back home!”
Mary then collapsed into a flood of uncontrollable tears and wept loudly as she fell into the lap of the female police officer.
It was half an hour later before Mary was composed enough to allow the Garda to return to their other duties.
“Have you got someone to come around and stay with you tonight?” the female Garda asked Mary.
“No, but I’ll be alright” she added, still crying.
“If you’re sure. I’ll leave my card. Give me a bell if you want me to pop back round,” the female Garda said.
The Garda left, having arranged to collect Mary the following day and take her to the hospital morgue to identify the bodies of her parents and siblings.
“Tomorrow is soon enough to identify your next of kin, Miss Fanning, but I’m afraid they must be officially identified, and as you are the sole family survivor, it has to be you. It is a necessary requirement before the Inquest can be held and the bodies released for burial!”
“Is there someone you would like to accompany you?” the male Garda asked.
Mary simply shook her head to indicate ‘no’.
The following morning, Mary was taken to the morgue at ‘The South Tipperary General Hospital’ where all the dead from the motorway pile-up had been taken. As she walked the corridor to the morgue in tears, Mary hoped she wouldn’t pass anyone she knew. She couldn’t possibly engage in unnecessary explanation for her presence there.
There was a peculiar irony that only a mere sixteen hours earlier, she’d been about to complete her shift for the day on Ward 11.
Mary knew that once they got back, her father and siblings would want to recount every momentous moment of today’s match as they told her repeatedly what a wicked game she’d missed.
At precisely 9.00 pm a heavy knock was sounded on the door and thinking her family to be back, Mary opened it. Standing there were two Garda, a man, and a woman; the female being not much older than herself. Each held their caps in their hands respectfully and maintained a solemnness of face that indicated the possible content of the news they carried.
Before the male Garda spoke, Mary had a terrible premonition of some accident that had happened. This premonition had undoubtedly been aided by the vising Garda holding their headgear instead of wearing it.
“Oh, my God! What is it. Not a family member hurt is it?”, Mary asked anxiously.
Before answering her anxious inquiry, the male Garda said, “Can we come in please. What I’ve to tell you is best heard sitting down and not on the doorstep.”
Mary showed the two visitors into the lounge, fearing as she did so that their message was worse than she’d initially feared, and that someone had died.
“I’m afraid…,” said the female Garda as she held Mary’s hand, “that the news is bad… as bad as it gets!”
Mary’s heart started to pound as she asked, “Is… has someone died?”
Before she next spoke, the woman Garda took her hand from Mary’s, placed it around her shoulder and looking her straight in the eye said in unfaltering words, “I’m sorry to have to tell you that less than an hour ago on the M8, shortly before coming into Clonmel, the bus that your family were travelling back from Dublin in was involved in a multiple collision on the motorway. It crashed down an embankment and instantly caught fire, before exploding. Everyone on board, except the driver and six of the other passengers died in the crash.”
The messenger paused and took a few deep breaths before continuing.
“Just tell me!” Mary demanded. “I’m a nurse and I want to know. Who died? Tell me! Who in my family was killed; which one?”
Poor Mary was so distraught by the information that the female Garda had just given her that it didn’t register that only six passengers and the bus driver survived the crash.
At this point the most senior officer spoke. “Not one…or two, but all eight members of your family, Miss Fanning, were killed instantly. I’m so sorry to be the one to break such sad news, but that is our information according to the verified list of bus passengers.”
Mary couldn’t take in the enormity of what she was hearing; she didn’t want to take it in! Holding both hands to cover her ears she opened her mouth and after a few moments silence of being unable to voice her cry, she screamed, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God. Poor Mammy and Da! All my brothers and sisters killed with one cruel blow just because of some faking football match and the rush back home!”
Mary then collapsed into a flood of uncontrollable tears and wept loudly as she fell into the lap of the female police officer.
It was half an hour later before Mary was composed enough to allow the Garda to return to their other duties.
“Have you got someone to come around and stay with you tonight?” the female Garda asked Mary.
“No, but I’ll be alright” she added, still crying.
“If you’re sure. I’ll leave my card. Give me a bell if you want me to pop back round,” the female Garda said.
The Garda left, having arranged to collect Mary the following day and take her to the hospital morgue to identify the bodies of her parents and siblings.
“Tomorrow is soon enough to identify your next of kin, Miss Fanning, but I’m afraid they must be officially identified, and as you are the sole family survivor, it has to be you. It is a necessary requirement before the Inquest can be held and the bodies released for burial!”
“Is there someone you would like to accompany you?” the male Garda asked.
Mary simply shook her head to indicate ‘no’.
The following morning, Mary was taken to the morgue at ‘The South Tipperary General Hospital’ where all the dead from the motorway pile-up had been taken. As she walked the corridor to the morgue in tears, Mary hoped she wouldn’t pass anyone she knew. She couldn’t possibly engage in unnecessary explanation for her presence there.
There was a peculiar irony that only a mere sixteen hours earlier, she’d been about to complete her shift for the day on Ward 11.
~~~~~
Ever since childhood, Mary Fanning had always been prepared to follow wherever her conscience and common sense led her, as well as believing in the influence of God and the alignment of the stars.
As she grew older, she tended to rely more on practicalities and the importance of shaping one’s own outcome. The news she received on the 7th October 2000, however, was to drastically lead her to review and alter her life philosophy.
She was now prepared to believe that when good things happened to one it is invariably said to have been ‘fate’ that is judged to have governed events, but when bad things occur, it is usually God who’s to blame for allowing it to happen!
As she grew older, she tended to rely more on practicalities and the importance of shaping one’s own outcome. The news she received on the 7th October 2000, however, was to drastically lead her to review and alter her life philosophy.
She was now prepared to believe that when good things happened to one it is invariably said to have been ‘fate’ that is judged to have governed events, but when bad things occur, it is usually God who’s to blame for allowing it to happen!
