Big-hearted car dealer’s aid gets disabled mum back on the road

A young disabled mother who had her car stolen by thieves says she feels independent again after a donor presented her with a new car.

Multiple sclerosis patient Eilís McSeain was standing with her crutches when the heartless thieves jumped into her car and sped off.

However, after a national newspaper and radio appeal, one big-hearted car dealer presented her with a brand new car.

Darragh Fitzpatrick of Erne Motors in Cavan heard Eilís telling Ray D’Arcy on his Today FM show that she had lost her sense of independence because she relied so much on her car to get around.

Mr Fitzpatrick and Toyota Motors contacted Eilís and offered to get her back on the road immediately and until her insurance comes through for the stolen car.

Yesterday they presented the overjoyed Cavan woman with a 2012 Toyota Verso S which is fully kitted-out for a disabled person.

Eilís, who turned 30 on Monday, said it was the best birthday present she could get. “I’m delighted with Darragh,” she said. “I’m so happy with the car.”

However, she has said she would still love to get her own car back and asked for anybody who knows anything to contact gardaí. The car had her walking frame in the back when it was stolen by two women at a playground outside Killashandra, Co Cavan.

She is still shocked that the two thieves abandoned her on the side of the road despite seeing her walking frame in the car.

“They obviously saw it was a disabled person’s car and that I couldn’t run at them or stop them. They saw an easy target. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it was happening and my son Darragh began crying. They saw me hobbling towards the car on my two crutches and with Darragh. We were the only ones in the playground. They had to know it was my car, I’ve no doubt. Just looking at me you’d know I couldn’t walk very far so they were leaving me abandoned with my son. I think it’s somebody without a heart or a conscience.”

Eilís’s MS has left her left side weaker than the other and she doesn’t have any use of her left foot, so she can’t drive a normal manual-shift car.

“I can’t go any distance without the car I can’t even go down to the shop. The car was my lifeline so it’s great to be able to get that back now,” she said.

The thieves took the blue Toyota Yaris — registration number 12-CN-899 — on the afternoon of Friday, Apr 5, and Eilís’s hopes that it will be retrieved are fading.

Killeshandra gardaí have asked the public to report any sightings to them on 049 4334302.

The presentation of a new car comes as gardaí arrested a 26-year-old woman in Dublin in connection with the theft.

The woman, with a Dublin address, was arrested on the North Circular Rd at noon yesterday.

Last night she was being questioned at Ballyconnell Garda Station in Cavan. A source said the suspect told gardaí that the car has been sold on.

Gardaí say the car has not been recovered.