A 37-year-old mum-of-two from Newry, Co. Armagh, suffered a "life ending brain injury" after a rickshaw crash on North Wall Quay in Dublin at around 11pm on Saturday night. Danielle O'Keane had been at the 3Arena with friends for a Westlife reunion show and was on her way to meet her husband in the city centre when the accident happened.
Her family said the rickshaw hit a kerb and toppled over. Danielle was rushed to Mater Misericordiae University Hospital with serious injuries and is currently in ICU on a ventilator.
Family's heartbreaking wait
Danielle's brother-in-law, Derek, told the Irish Mirror: "It's tragic. They went to the concert and they were leaving. My brother David (Danielle's husband) was actually in the city centre with a couple of his friends… They were leaving to head up into the city centre to meet up with David."
"They got into a rickshaw. And it was only due to be a short journey up into the city centre. But I was talking to one of the girls that accompanied Danielle, and she was saying she was only on the rickshaw for a matter of seconds before it hit the kerb and toppled over. And horrifically resulting in a catastrophic brain injury."
Derek said doctors have told the family that Danielle is facing a "life-ending brain injury" and they are waiting for a brainstem test to confirm the findings from MRI and CT scans. "So there is nothing they can do. There's no surgical intervention or nothing they can do to help. It's just the process of waiting for them to officially turn off the machine. It's heartbreaking," he said.
Fundraiser and family holiday plans
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Danielle's husband and their two young sons, aged five and two. The family were due to travel to Mallorca on October 5 for their first family holiday together, with bags already packed.
Derek described Danielle as having a "heart of gold" and being "full of life" with "so much to look forward to". He said: "Danielle was only 37. The two young boys… five and two years of age, they were all looking forward to their first family holiday." Over £40,000 has been raised so far.
Garda appeal for witnesses
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses and for road users with camera footage from the area at the time to come forward. A Garda spokesperson told the Mirror: "At approximately 11:00pm, a woman (aged in her 30s) was struck by a vehicle."
"She was brought by ambulance to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. No other injuries were reported. Garda Forensic Collision Investigators carried out an examination of the scene."
The spokesperson added: "Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station on 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Ref: PR27714/2026."
