Stephanie Knox has spoken out after news broke that she was suing the estate of the family that died in the Buncrana pier tragedy for damages.
Stephanie and her then-boyfriend Davitt Walsh were among the first at the scene when the McGrotty family’s jeep rolled into Lough Swilly in an accident in March of 2016.
She’s now seeking an undisclosed sum for loss of earnings and other costs.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, she said she wasn’t aware that she was claiming against the estate of Sean McGrotty, one of those who died in the incident.
“I’m under so much stress and heartache and I would love it to just blow over,” she said.
“I knew there was a claim being made against the council and the insurance company… I know what they’re [the McGrotty family] going through is hard.”
The five family members who died in the incident.A solicitor for Knox confirmed that the claim is being made against the estate.
“She is making a claim, on the advice of her legal team, against Donegal County Council and the estate for injuries sustained,” they said.
Sean McGrotty, 48, his sons, Mark, 12, and Evan, 8, their grandmother, 58-year-old Ruth Daniels and their 14-year-old aunt, Jodie-Lee, died when the parked jeep they were sitting in rolled off the pier and into the sea on 20 March 2016.
Passerby Davitt Walsh jumped into the water at the scene and managed to save Sean’s four-month-old daughter Rioghnach-Ann.
Knox, a cardiac physiologist, helped to care for the baby girl until the emergency services arrived while Walsh went back into the water to try and save more people.
Sadly, Rioghnach-Ann was the only survivor.
Sean McGrotty’s father Noel McGrotty told Derry Now that he’d been notified that Knox is claiming against the estate.
“I saw the name Knox and realised it was from the girl that took the baby when she was brought out of the water that day,” said Mr McGrotty.
In a Facebook post, Knox’s sister said the woman had thought she was suing the local council rather than the family and that the incident left her traumatised.
“That day has ruined her life forever, witnessing five people die in front of her, and her life will never be the same.”
