Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Woman killed by train as21 she tried to save her dog
Driver sounded horn after seeing pensioner on track
AN elderly woman was killed while trying to pull her pet dog out of the path of an oncoming train, an inquest was told yesterday.
Bridget Mchale, 70, from Foxford, Co Mayo, was hunched over her beloved Prince when she was struck by the Manulla to Ballina passenger train on April 1 last year.
Her dog had lain down on the tracks at the Knockshanbally level crossing and was refusing to budge.
Train driver Jonathan Hopkins gave a detailed statement about how he DIVERS yesterday recovered the body of a man who fell into a river while working on a bridge.
He was pulled from the River Clady in Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal, at 2.30pm.
The man was working on the upgrade of the Station Bridge when he fell into the water at around 11am.
He is understood to have been working for a Northern Ireland company sounded the horn and applied the brakes. He said: “The woman was reaching over the rail to try and get the dog off but moved to the middle of the tracks completely and hunched over the dog.
“At this point the train was more or less on the crossing. Shortly afterwards the train struck the woman and came to a stop a short distance up the line.” Mrs Mchale died at the scene along with her but his identity has not yet been made public until all family members are informed.
It is understood he is in his 60s and originally from Northern Ireland.
A full investigation is being carried out by the Health and Safety Authority and the victim’s body has been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for a postmortem.
Local county councillor Micheal Mac Giolla Easbuig said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with this man’s family.” dog. Her grieving husband James Mchale did not attend the hearing but told gardai that the evening before the tragedy they had been dancing in Swinford and enjoyed “a great night”.
On the morning of the accident Mrs Mchale had been “in great spirits” and they had read the papers together and worked on a crossword before she took Prince for a walk at 10.30am. There were 18 passengers on the train but none saw the impact and none were injured. After a verdict of accidental death was recorded Mayo Coroner Patrick O’connor sympathised with the Mchale family on their “heartbreaking” loss.
He added her actions in trying to save her dog were a normal reaction of a kind person when a beloved pet was in danger.