The Faulkner family’s battered car after it was recovered from the field.
A mum whose family survived a horrific car crash in Ballybofey a number of weeks ago say her kids are still reliving the nightmare.
The Faulkner family became trapped in their car when it left the road and flipped upside down into a field.
Luckily a group of Donegal soldiers returning from duty at Finner Army base in Ballyshannon were on hand to rescue the family.
However Laura Faulkner has revealed that her three children cannot get over their nightmare and scream every time they have to go on a journey in their car.
“It is a nightmare. The oldest two simply shout and scream in terror every time we have to go on a journey in the car.
“Even a simple and short journey like visiting their grandmother a short distance away is a nightmare.
“We’re hoping that they will overcome it in time but they just seem to be reliving the nightmare over and over again,” she said.
Irish soldiers Stephen Healy and Davy Leech who with two other friends rescued a family after their car had veered off the road and into a ditch outside Ballybofey. (NW Newspix)
Laura said her family owe so much soldiers Stephen Healy, David Leech, Lee McFadden and Conor Doherty.
The mother-of-three, who was a front seat passenger in the stricken car, told how she thought she was going to die after becoming trapped inside the car.
Laura, her husband Neil and the couple’s three children, Mia (3 months), Alyssa (18 months) and Amber, 4 years, were traveling back after a night away at the Gap Lodge in Barnesmore to celebrate Neil’s birthday.
But disaster struck when their car veered violently off the road and into a field.
The terrified family could not get out of the car after its doors became embedded between an embankment and a barbed wire-fence on the outskirts of the town of Ballybofey.
Laura revealed “One minute we were traveling along and the next minute the car went out of control. Neil pulled out of the way of oncoming traffic and then he steered left and we ended up upside down in the field.”
Laura said she had visions that the car was going to explode into flames.
“I managed to climb into the back to help the children who were screaming with fear.
“I honestly thought “I am going to die, I am going to die.” I didn’t know what was going to happen as we lay there. I thought the engine could explode at any minute and we would be all killed,” she said.
However just seconds later as they lay helpless and with their children screaming in the car, help arrived.
The soldiers calmly parked their own car and set about rushed to the stricken family’s aid.
Last night the four soldiers said they only did what anybody would have done.
David Leech said “We were just in the right place at the right time – it’s as simply as that. We were just happy we could help.”
Laura said she hopes her children will eventually get over their ordeal but said she will never forget the heroics of the Donegal soldiers.
“We will never forget how brave and kind they were. If it wasn’t for them we could have been trapped in that car for hours and nobody would have known we were there.
“Our ordeal could have been much worse. We were only trapped for a short time but it was just the whole ordeal which is sticking in the children’s minds.
“Hopefully time will be a healer and we can return to spend some more time in Donegal,” she said.
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