'I'll never be whole again,' says mother of teen killed in hit-and-run
Mia Lily Keogh O’Keefe, 16, was struck by a car on the Slane Rd in Navan, Meath, at approximately 8.20pm on Saturday.
The heartbroken mother of a teenager who was killed in a hit-and-run on Saturday says she "will never be whole again".
Mia Lily Keogh O’Keefe, 16, was struck by a car on the Slane Rd in Navan, Meath, at approximately 8.20pm on Saturday. She was out walking her dog Bowie, who was also killed in the incident.
In a statement posted on social media and addressed to the driver, her mother Louise said: "I know this will find you easily, just as easily as people found her name and photos, and just as easily as you took her from me.
"You need to hear what your negligence has caused. It starts with a mistake, that leads to a consequence, she was the consequence and you have started an unbearable ripple of grief.
"It starts with me. I'm her mother, I carried her and gave her life, and she gave me the most beautiful gift of being her mother. She truly was a gift and a most talented girl. She taught herself crafts and was an incredible artist of many different kinds, everything from crocheting to painting and clay.
"She was going on holiday with her school in a couple weeks. Her clothes will be delivered and her bag lays unpacked. I got her a personalised name tag made for it that will never get used."
Louise said her family has been devastated by the loss of Mia Lily.
"She was my daughter, but she was also a sister. Her sister left behind and her three baby brothers are never going to have the same life. She was a cousin, a niece, a granddaughter, and a friend.
"I'll never be whole again; my heart will always ache."
"But, as her mother, I can't tell you the deepest pain you've caused me. I will never be whole again; my heart will always ache and long to hold her and hear her laugh. The horror you've made me see will play on repeat in my head.
"My beautiful daughter, how you left her, may God have mercy on you."
A relative who launched a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of her funeral and other expenses has said the family is suffering “unimaginable” pain.
The crowdfunding appeal has raised over €31,000 from more than 1,000 donations.
The relative said the teenager had her whole life ahead of her, and she has left behind her heartbroken mother Louise, dad Stephen, sister Katelyn, and brothers Kai, Zack, and Cole, “along with so many friends and loved ones who are devastated by her loss”.
A man in his 20s was subsequently arrested, and a car was seized for examination as part of the garda investigation. He has since been released without charge, and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Mia Lily’s death comes after six others lost their lives in the worst weekend of road deaths in almost a decade.
Also on Saturday, Brian and Grace Frisby, both in their 40s, died when the car they were travelling in collided with a van outside of Waterford City.
The collision occurred on Tramore Rd at Robin Hill, Tramore, at around 12pm. It is understood the parents of two lived in Kildare but had family in Waterford.
Three people died following a three-vehicle collision on the Moy Road in Armagh on Saturday evening.
The victims were named as Conor Quinn, 31, a father of four from the Coalisland area; Laura Hoy, 23, a mother of one from Cookstown; and John Guy, 48, a father who is originally from Dublin and was living in Keady.
All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Four others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
In Galway, Kathleen Cunningham (née Ryan), 80, from Toomard, Newbridge, died in a single-vehicle car crash at Rooaun, Eyrecourt, Galway, at around 8.15pm on Saturday.
Ms Cunningham is predeceased by her husband Mattie, her parents Bridget and Kevin, and sisters Pearl (Connor), Marian (Hora), and Joan (King).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
