The young Donegal man who is in a coma following an accident at the Sydney Harbour Bridge has seen a “slight improvement” in his condition in recent days.
Shaun Dunworth (21) from Ramelton was found lying on the road under a High Street overpass on Saturday July 31.
Doctors put him into an induced coma at the intensive care unit of St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.
Shaun’s aunt Geraldine told Independent.ie that his condition remains critical but that only yesterday there were “slight improvements” in his condition.
His parents who flew out to be with him when they received word are “taking it day by day” as there is “no quick fix” for his injuries, she said.
“His father and mother are looking at being out there for a while as he is in and induced coma and he has to get an awful lot of surgery.”
He sustained serious head injuries while also fracturing a number of bones in his face. The full extent of any damage caused will not be known until he is taken out of the coma.
She describes the young man who had being living in Australia since January as a “loveable fella” and liked by everyone in the town of Ramelton where he is from.
“He is such a well-known fella about the town, a real loveable fella and everybody’s friend.
“If you were walking over the town with a bag of groceries with you he’d come along and say, ‘I’ll take those off you’.”
Heartbroken by her nephew’s accident she said, “you just don’t expect it to come to your own door”.
Shaun was due to start a new job this weekend which would have allowed him to extend his visa to Australia.
Back home in Donegal a huge community effort has seen thousands raised to help the family with a recovery fund.
A gofundme page was set up by friends with an initial aim of raising €10,000. It has since increased to €50,000 with just €5,000 left to reach that goal.
Country singers Robert Mizzell and Jimmy Buckley are among the acts that will perform at a fundraising night in a local hotel.
A mass will also be said in the local church on Tuesday night.
The online fundraising page can be found at www.gofundme.com/566czu-shaun-dunworth-recovery-fund.
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