Woman left fighting for life after crash in reunion with her son
A FERMANAGH mum who was left fighting for her life after a car crash that killed two of her friends has been reunited with her son.
Rachel Elliott (25), who lives outside Irvinestown, suffered injuries to her brain, back and pelvis after she was thrown out of the back window of a blue Peugeot 306 when it hit a wall in the seaside resort of Bundoran almost three weeks ago.
Shiva Devine (20) from Belleek and Conall McAleer (20) from Ederney, who were passengers in the car, died at the scene.
Two others, believed to be brothers from Fermanagh and also travelling in the car, were seriously injured.
Ms Elliott had been in an induced coma for several days after suffering the life-changing injuries.
But having regained consciousness, yesterday she was reunited with her son.
Her sister Donna shared the good news on Facebook, writing: “Mother and son time, to say the least they were very happy to be reunited... very emotional day.” Her son Ronnie was pictured hugging his mother.
Sharing the harrowing details of the night of the accident, her sister revealed last week that her parents Ivan and Susan were left utterly devastated on seeing their daughter’s horrific injuries.
She said: “When we saw her she was very bloated and swollen. She went out the car’s rear window. My own father didn’t recognise her.
“My mother and father just broke down in the hospital.” The family begged people to pray for a miracle for their daughter, adding: “We are waiting for a miracle and we are asking for people to pray, to light candles. It doesn’t matter what religion you are, just pray for a miracle.”
They said on August 25 that they had been given no guarantees from doctors at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin that she would survive.
Doctors told the family that Ms Elliott had been showing “strong signs of a brain stem injury because she was not responding”.
But the family confirmed: “Today we saw her open her blue eyes, this is a big thing.
“It’s heart-wrenching seeing her there and you can’t do anything.
“She has to pull through for her wee boy Ronnie. Ronnie needs her.
“He misses his mummy terribly, we all do,”
Rachel went through back surgery on August 27, with her family saying it would be a waiting game to see if she will walk again.