Local runners to honour Buncrana pier tragedy victims

Sean McGrotty, his sons Mark and Evan and Ruth and Jodie-Lee Daniels died when the car they were in slid off the slipway and into the Lough Swilly last month.

Eight year-old Evan had muscular dystrophy and the runners from Derry and Donegal are taking part in the marathon to raise money for the charity, Muscular Dystrophy UK. The event has been called ‘#TeamEvan’.

Derry man, Peter Gorman, is one of the runners taking part in the race.

“I am proud to be taking part in one of the relay teams for this marathon in memory of wee Evan and his family who lost their lives at Buncrana pier,” said Peter.

The Belfast Marathon will take place on Monday, May 2 and all monies raised by the Derry and Donegal runners will be donated to Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund to support its work in finding treatments.

The group taking part in the marathon have created a web-page so that people can donate money online.

A target of £3,000 has been set by the group and at the time of going to press last night they had already raised approximately £750.

The tragedy happened after the family went to Buncrana pier to watch the sun set.

Remarkably, bystander Davitt Walsh, managed to rescue Sean McGrotty’s four month-old daughter Rionaghac-Ann from the car before it sank.

The five victims were laid to rest after a funeral Mass at Holy Family Chapel, Ballymagroarty.

In a statement in the days after the accident, the McGrotty and Daniels family expressed their appreciation for all of the help and support they had received.

“The family has been inundated with support and sympathy from the local community and further afield and this is deeply appreciated,” they said.

To donate to ‘#TeamEvan’ visit http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/muscular-dystrophy/teamevan