THE widow of a Co Donegal man killed in a building site accident in London is to carry the Olympic torch through the streets of the English capital in recognition of her tireless work for others.
Jennifer Deeney, now 37, was married just 13 weeks and two days to her long-term sweetheart, steel fixer Kieron, then 25, when he fell through a rotten piece of wood nailed to a lift platform at the Hilton building in South Quays, off Marsh Wall on August 9, 2004.
Kieron, from Rathmullan, died instantly in the accident.
Jennifer, who is from Co Mayo, is a matron on the neonatal unit of the Royal London Hospital and spends all of her spare time travelling to building sites to give talks on safety.
She has been a regular visitor to the Olympic Park in east London to meet with workers, many from Co Donegal, on the importance of safety.
On July 23, four days before the official 2012 Games begin she will carry the Olympic torch through Merton in south London.
She admitted she was ‘gobsmacked’ when she was chosen for the honour which comes after years of fundraising for the Lighthouse Club, a charity which counsels and supports families of killed construction workers.
Jennifer has spoken about how Kieron’s life affected her.
She said: “My life was destroyed. Kieron lost his life in that lift shaft in Canary Wharf and I lost part of mine as well. We were newly married and planning a family, it never dawned on me it would turn into a disaster.”.
“Kieron was my hero and he was the most important person in this world. I just want people to know that everybody can make a difference.
“Lots of people had been on that site and walked past that board but didn’t do anything about it.”
Mrs Deeney, who lives in Kingsbury, brings her story to construction sites and companies around the country and has produced a safety DVD.
A jury at her husband’s inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
A memorial to the Co Donegal man has been built at Canary Wharf not far from where he died.
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