The few hours that followed were certainly not what anyone expected. Having collected her granddaughter, Margaret drove Katie home, parked in Alison’s driveway and they both got out of the car.
Unfortunately, the handbrake had not been applied and the car began to roll backwards. Katie tried to push the car to stop it while Margaret rushed to try and remove the keys but the car picked up speed and couldn’t be stopped.
Margaret recalls her last memory of that day: “I remember trying to take the keys out of the car, realising what was about to happen, but I couldn’t. I then called out to Katie. After that I have no memory of what came next.”
Katie managed to get out of the way to safety but Margaret had been struck by the car door and was knocked to the ground. She was then dragged by her car along the driveway for some time and sustained a catalogue of injuries.
Margaret’s daughter Alison remembers the scene when she arrived: “When I got the call I imagined mum to have had a minor car accident in Larne; I certainly didn’t expect anything like the scene I would arrive at. Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI) and the PSNI were all there, as well as neighbours and bystanders looking on. It was such a shock.”
Margaret had broken every rib in her body, broken her shoulder and her left arm, lost her left ear and had suffered a fractured skull as well as numerous fractured vertebrae. She spent four weeks in the Royal Victoria Hospital and endured extensive surgery, including a shoulder replacement.
With regular physiotherapy Margaret is still recovering, but she maintains a positive attitude: “It’s now seven months from my accident and I am still in recovery but I’m so grateful to the HEMS team and NIAS for their speedy response and care that was provided.”
She recently visited the Air Ambulance operational base outside Lisburn and shared her story. She joked: “When I was in the Royal one of the medics asked what happened and I told him I was attacked by a Jaguar!
“I’m glad to be here and well enough to have a joke about the situation. I am also glad to be well enough to give back to the AANI charity by fundraising for them. I am a member of Invermore Art Society in Larne and we organise an art exhibition each year. This year the exhibition was for the Air Ambulance and we raised £1,000.”
Sadly, Margaret passed away on 30th March 2025. She will always be remembered with love and held in our hearts forever.
