Mum and daughter (3) die in horror crash between quad bike and tractor

THE heartbroken husband of a woman who died alongside her three-year-old daughter on a quad bike was just yards away from his family when the horrific crash occurred.

Clare Smyth (35) and her youngest child Bethany were killed instantly when their vehicle collided with a tractor on the Whitepark Road in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, just before 5pm on Tuesday.

Ryan Smyth’s surviving daughter Hannah (5) underwent life-saving surgery after being rushed by air ambulance to Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children, where she remains critically ill.

‘He cradled those two wee girls in his arms as he waited for help’

Her devastated father was last night maintaining a vigil at her bedside.

Mr Smyth, a well-known local farmer aged in his 30s, and his wife had been tending their garden with Hannah and Bethany prior to the tragedy.

Ms Smyth and the girls are believed to have been using the quad bike, which had a small trailer attached, to move plants that were destined for a new flower bed they had just created.

The crash happened close to the entrance to the family farm on the outskirts of Ballycastle, on the road towards Ballintoy and the Giant’s Causeway.

It is thought that Ms Smyth was taking a short cut to another part of the farmland when the fatal collision with their neighbour occurred.

A source close to the family said Mr Smyth “heard a massive bang and immediately ran to the nearby road, where he was met with an unimaginable scene”.

The source added: “He realised almost right away that there was nothing he could do for Clare.

“But he cradled those two wee girls in his arms as he waited for help to come.

“Poor Ryan was in a terrible state of shock, as was the driver of the tractor.

“It’s an unimaginable thing that’s happened here. “Nobody can believe it.” Ms Smyth and Bethany were pronounced dead at the scene.

Local councillor Adrian McQuillan described the Smyths as “a hard-working, Christian family” and said: “It’s time for our prayers and

support.” The DUP politician added: “The whole community is praying for Hannah. “We desperately want her to come through this. “Everyone’s thoughts and prayers are also with Ryan and the tractor driver, and both their families.” Ms Smyth, who was originally from Bushmills, Co Antrim, was a voluntary Girls Brigade officer at Dunluce Presbyterian Church. Her injured daughter Hannah, a pupil at Dunseverick Primary School in Bushmills, is a Guide there. Bethany, who was due to start pre-school at Dunseverick in September, was treated at the scene of the accident, then rushed to the Causeway Coast Hospital before being airlifted to Belfast. Her parents had been married for 15 years, having celebrated their wedding on Clare’s 21st birthday. Rev John Stanbridge, minister of Ballycastle and Croaghmore Presbyterian Church, issued a statement on behalf of Mr Smyth yesterday in which he thanked the emergency services and asked people to pray for Hannah. “What happened on Tuesday was a tragic and freak accident that has changed a family forever,” said Rev Stanbridge. “In making this statement, I have spoken to Ryan, who is at his daughter Hannah’s bedside in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast, and he would like to express his thanks for the prayers of everyone, especially those in Ballycastle, and asks that people continue to pray for wee Hannah.”

PHOTOS: PACEMAKER Fatal crash: Clare Smyth and her daughters Hannah and Bethany were involved in a quad bike accident with a tractor at their home in Ballycastle (below).