A Derry woman has said that the memory of a car driving over her three-year-old granddaughter will "haunt her for the rest of her life" as she calls for legislative change to limit elderly drivers.
Donna Deeney and her young granddaughter Fiadh were injured when they were hit by 87-year-old driver Valerie Greenwood on Main Street, Eglington in December, 2023, while they were attempting to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing. Donna suffered a broken leg and wrist and has been left permanently traumatised by the ordeal.
Fiadh was lucky to avoid serious injuries due to her grandmother being hit by the vehicle first and protecting her from the initial impact of the car, however she is no longer "the same boisterous wee girl she was" and has become nervous and insecure due to the ordeal and still suffers nightmares.
Read more: Woman, 87, "shouldn't have been driving" as she ran over grandmother and granddaughter
Read more: Scarlett Rossborough's mum counts days of daughter's young life as driver sentenced
Ms Deeney has said that the memory of her lying on the road and watching the Vauxhall Corsa drive over Fiadh will "haunt her for the rest of her life".
During Greenwood's sentencing at Derry Crown Court, Judge Rafferty said that in his view she "should not have been driving" due to the impact that age had on her cognitive ability. She later received a 12 month prison sentence suspended for two years, primarily due to her age and health concerns.
Ms Deeney is now backing the campaign by the family of tragic eight-year-old Scarlett Rossborough, who was killed in a collision by a driver in his 90s, calling for the introduction of testing for elderly drivers and the compulsory surrendering of a driving licence by the age of 85.
She has said that it is "the height of lunacy" that there is no cut-off period for elderly drivers and that legally someone who is over 100 years old could get behind the wheel of a car.
Ms Deeney said: "I came to court this morning fully expecting that Valerie Greenwood would walk away having paid little or no penalty for the grievous injuries she inflicted on me. Despite this, hearing the judge's words was like getting slapped on the face. It was hard to take.
"In fact, had Valerie Greenwood killed my granddaughter and I, she still would be allowed to return to her home to live out the rest of her life as she wishes. We only have to look at the recent case in Larne where a driver in his 90s was also given a suspended sentence after he killed eight-year-old Scarlett Rossborough.
"Valerie Greenwood walked away from court because of her age. Had she been my age or younger, there was every probability she would have been jailed.
"I fully endorse the efforts of Scarlett Rossborough's family to have legislation changed that would introduce testing for elderly drivers and compulsory surrendering of driving license by the age of 85. If you are too old for jail, you are too old to drive.
"These have been extraordinarily difficult months for me and my family. My injuries are life changing and permanent. I have not had a single pain free day in 15 months. The sight of Valerie Greenwood driving her car right over my wee granddaughter will be ingrained on my brain for the rest of my life. It was nothing short of a miracle that she fell onto the road positioned between the four wheels of that car. An inch or two to the right or left and she would surely have been killed. The image of that car driving over my granddaughter will always haunt me and I know Fiadh still has nightmares about it.
"Fiadh did not escape unscathed, although her physical injuries were not serious. She bears the psychological scars, she is wary, nervous and at times insecure. She is not the same boisterous wee girl she was and I fear that I will always be a reminder to her of what happened to us.
"The legislation for older drivers states that from the age of 70 a driver must renew their licence every three years and declare themselves fit to drive. This self assessment continues for however long the driver wants to be behind the wheel of a car. There is no test. Ms Greenwood was 86 years of age when she ploughed into us. I am so grateful we survived.
"I do not believe any driver approaching the age of 90 should be behind the wheel of a car. We do not say to 17-year-olds 'what do you think yourself, do you think you are going to be safe on the roads?' Instead, they must pass a theory test which includes a hazard perception test and then they must pass the practical test. So why isn’t this the case for older drivers?
"A driver must be at least 17 before they are allowed to drive but there is no cut-off for older drivers. In reality there is no reason someone age 100 could not get into a car and drive off. This is the height of lunacy."
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