Relatives slam
® A NURSE has apologised for suing the relatives of a family-of-five she watched drown after their car slid off a pier into the sea.
Stephanie Knox, 25, cradled the only surviver of the tragedy – a four-month-old girl – rescued by her then-boyfriend Davitt Walsh.
She lodged a claim for “loss of earnings” after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder following the horror in March 2016.
The furious family of the victims have said they may have to pay out.
Stephanie last night said she had assumed her claim was against the local council and an insurance company.
She said: “Never in my life did I think it would be coming from the family.”
Noel McGrotty, 86 – whose son and grandsons were killed in the tragedy – said he received the claim notice on behalf of Stephanie on the eve of the second anniversary of their deaths.
Noel’s son Sean McGrotty, 48, and grandsons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, died in the accident at Buncrana Pier in Co Donegal, Ireland.
It is understood the letter was sent to the grief-stricken pensioner by the Dublin-based Personal Injuries Assessment Board, which assesses personal injury compensation claims.
But Stephanie’s solicitor confirmed she is making a claim “on the advice of her legal team, against Donegal County Council and the estate for injuries sustained”.
Stephanie’s sister Laura took to social media to defend her.
She said witnessing the horrific events had “ruined” Laura’s life, and she would never be “spiteful”. Sean’s mother-in-law Ruth Daniels and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels were also killed.
Former footballer Mr Walsh is not part of any legal action.
An inquest found that Audi Q7 driver Sean was more than three times the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the accident.