Garda Joe our hero for saving Analise’s life, says family

A quick-thinking garda has been hailed a hero by the family of a toddler left on life support after being struck by a relative’s car.

Analise McDonagh, now 19 months old, sustained head injuries when a car reversed on a driveway at her grandfather’s home near Tuam, Co Galway.

The driver didn’t spot Analise as she ran around a corner.

She spent three weeks in Temple Street Children’s Hospital with a severe brain injury. The little girl has made a remarkable recovery and will be fitted shortly with a protective helmet to safeguard her from accidental head injuries.

Garda Joe Quinn and colleague Garda Edel Durkin had been first on the scene. Joe has now been reunited with Analise: “I didn’t expect to see her running about and smiling as she was in a very bad way the last time I saw her. The ambulance arrived 10 minutes after we did and the paramedics treating her feared the worst. But we requested an army helicopter to airlift her to Galway and the crew arrived within seven minutes.”

His speedy request along with medical care were key to Analise’s survival. “Joe put her into the recovery position and Edel comforted my wife Bernadette, who was almost eight months’ pregnant and was in a terrible state,” said her father Edward. “He was the one who asked for the army helicopter to take her to hospital, a journey that only took eight minutes. She was transferred to Temple Street hospital with a fractured skull and was put on life support in intensive care for almost two weeks.”

Analise is now getting to know her baby brother Michael, who was born six weeks after her accident.