The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Tralee’s Jimmy is hailed a hero
A TRALEE man has been praised for his quick thinking this past week after it was revealed that he came to the aid of a teenage hit-and-run victim in Tanzania two weeks ago.
Jimmy Murphy, himself a member of the Tralee Community Responders (TCR) group, was on holiday in the area with his wife Maureen where they visited the Tír na nÓg Orphanage which is run by Tralee woman, Louise Quill and is a charity that Maureen has been involved with for over 10 years.
“One of our 14-year-old girls was struck by a drunk driver on a motorcycle as she attempted to cross the road with another child. The driver was injured but gathered himself and drove off,” said Louise, talking to The Kerryman on Monday.
“Jimmy, who is a voluntary member with the TCR, came upon the accident and immediately ran to the child’s aid. She was badly injured, had suffered several cuts and bruises, had sustained serious facial injuries and had lost two teeth in the accident,” Louise continued.
“Jimmy put the child into the recovery position and waited as a neighbour placed the child in a car and brought her to hospital. However, much to our horror, the child was returned to us as there was no doctors able to treat her at the hospital.”
“Jimmy rushed to the pharmacy and put together an emergency first aid and proceedeed to treat her injuries. He bandaged her wounds and came to clean and rebandage them each day until she’d recovered. He also taught other staff members to do the same in case of another incidence occurring,” said Louise.
“We were so grateful to have a first responder on hand that day and I personally could not thank Jimmy enough for acting so quickly and selflessly in the heat of the moment.
“The child in question has since returned to school in good spirits and we are hoping that, in time, we will be able to replace and repair her front teeth. The main thing is that she’s happy and healthy,” she finished.