PLEASE WEAR A HELMET, PLEADS DARREN’S MUM
THE mother of a young Screen man who has been in a coma for over a year following a catastrophic accident has warned people of the importance of wearing helmets when driving quad bikes.
On June 23, 2016, Darren Corrigan came home from work at the family business C&C building providers and hardware store in Screen and said he was going for a spin with a friend in a nearby field at Sandy Lane. It was a few weeks before his 21st birthday.
He left on the quad with no helmet, despite a word of advice from his dad Colm who was always telling his children to wear their helmets.
About an hour later, Colm and his wife Maresa received a telephone call to say that Darren had fallen off the quad. The couple quickly rushed to the scene, meeting the ambulance there.
It was such a simple accident – Darren, a member of Blackwater GAA and Curracloe soccer club, hit a bump in the field. The quad bike went up in the air and struck him on the side of the head as it landed. His parents had no idea in the aftermath of the incident how serious his injuries would prove to be.
Darren was brought in an unstable condition to Wexford General Hospital where he fought to stay alive.
He was transferred to Beaumont Hospital for life-saving operations on his brain and he has been in a coma ever since with his family and friends keeping a constant vigil by his hospital bedside.
‘We would like to make people aware of the dangers of driving quads without a helmet. I would like to say to people to please wear helmets. Colm was always giving out to Darren about it, even the evening it happened. There were two helmets on the worktop that evening but Darren left without a helmet. People think it’s okay because they’re not driving out on the road. An accident can happen in a second and it can change your life forever,’ said Maresa.
Darren is currently being cared for in St Patrick’s Ward at Wexford General Hospital where consultant Ken Mealy and all the staff – nursing, catering and security – have shown his family nothing but support and friendship. ‘They have become friends to us all,’ said Maresa, adding that the family are also grateful to the staff of Beaumont Hospital.
Maresa made her plea as Pat Ennis, the manager of Freddie’s Bar in Screen handed over €28,645 from a fundraising 5 km walk on Curracloe beach and a barbecue in the pub last March.
A fund has been set up to raise money for Darren’s care and rehabilitation in the future as his family eventually hopes to be able to bring him home to Screen. Some of the money raised to date will be used for equipment in St. Patrick’s Ward, to help with his recovery and for the use of other patients.
‘Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the continued support and fundraising for our fighter Darren,’ said Maresa.
A series of fundraising events are taking place including a big dance with the Heartbeats at the end of September in Whites Hotel which is providing the function room free of charge.