Bus accident woman loses fight for life

A SLIGO-BORN English visitor, hit by a bus on a day trip to Dublin last week, has died.

Marie Buckland, 60, lost her week-long battle for life in St James’s Hospital yesterday without regaining consciousness.

Her friend Jagdish Mangat, 56, was taken to hospital for treatment and discharged. Both women had been hit while crossing the road onto O’Connell Street on Thursday week.

Ms Buckland’s husband Frank was at his wife’s bedside all week and other members of the family flew into Dublin on Wednesday.

The family were put up free of charge by the Gresham Hotel after details emerged that Ms Buckland’s two bags - including €1,000 in cash, bank cards, keys, mobile phone and an Irish passport - had been stolen as she lay critically injured on the ground.

Gardaí, who are compiling a file for the DPP on the accident, are also continuing to investigate the callous theft.

Earlier this week Ms Mangat told radio listeners how a thief must have snatched her friend’s handbag and pull-along trolley bag during the confusion after the accident.

“Everything she had - everything in her bag - was gone,” Ms Mangat said on the RTÉ One Liveline programme.

Weeping, Ms Mangat recalled how the accident happened. “We were going to cross the road and there were people in front of us who were crossing.

“We just followed on with them. And after that I don’t remember anything. All I remember is that I was in the [hospital] casualty and I was asking them is my friend OK.”

Gardaí at Store Street station (01-666 8000) have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the accident or removed the items from the scene of the collision for safekeeping, to contact them.