Tram surfing payout girl ‘too scared to leave home’

Sister hits out at online threats

A WOMAN who was awarded €550,000 after falling off the Luas while “tram-surfing” is afraid to leave her home, her sister has claimed.

Rebecca Kelly, 21, received the payout after the 2010 fall in which she suffered a severe brain injury.

She was only 13 at the time of the incident and took legal action against Luas operators Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd and Veolia Transport Ireland Ltd through her mother Liz.

After settling last Friday in an agreement approved by the court, the young mum has been confined to her home in fear.

In a foul-mouthed rant on 98fm’s Dublin Talks, Ms Kelly’s sister Courtney said she “deserved every penny” and “we’ve all done stupid things when we were younger”. She added: “My sister can’t leave her home. How can she when there’s reporters at the door and she’s afraid she’s going to get jumped on.

“How can you leave your home when your getting threats and being called a tramp on Facebook? She deserves every penny of that for her and her son. Her child is only two weeks old and he’s been dragged through newspapers and Facebook.

“This is eight years ago, her child’s got f**k all to do with it.

“But that money is to set him for life. She won’t get a f**king flat.”

Ms Kelly’s other sister Jennifer also lashed back at critics saying her injuries are something “she’ll suffer with for the rest of her life”.