The mother of young Derry woman Rebecca Browne is said to be struck with double the heartache after losing her daughter in a tragic collision yesterday.
The incident in Buncrana, in which Ms Browne (21) was hit by a garda car, comes just a short while after her grandmother passed away during the pandemic.
Local priest Fr Michael McCaughey from Galliagh said that Rebecca’s mother is devastated by the loss.
“Her mum talked about how she has lost two very special people. Her own mother died during the pandemic and now she has lost her own daughter,” Fr McCaughey told the BBC.
“It is very daunting to hear a mother say her daughter went out on Saturday afternoon and hasn’t come home.”
Rebecca has been described as a porcelain doll, who loved her style and had a heart of gold.
“She was a young hairdresser, evidently lovely, the life and soul of the party, is what they would describe her as,” Fr McCaughey said.
“It is just very sad to see the pain and the heartbreak and the silence,” the priest said after visiting the family home.
Ms Browne, a young hairdresser based in Derry, was returning from a night out in the early hours of Sunday when she was killed in an accident at Ludden, near Buncrana. The collision has been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sandra Duffy offered her condolences to Ms Browne’s family yesterday and said: “Absolutely heartbreaking news coming through today, my immediate thoughts and prayers are with this young beautiful girl’s family at this very sad tragic and difficult time.
“There needs to be a full investigation and I appeal for anyone with information to bring it forward.”
