Woman Seriously Injured in Collision Urges Christmas Support for Emergency Medical Charity

A Roscommon woman who suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car outside a Waterford coffee shop is appealing to the public to support the volunteer emergency medical charity that helped save her life.

Olivia Hunt was queuing outside a coffee shop in Dunmore East in June 2023 when she was hit by a vehicle, suffering multiple fractures to her pelvis and lower back. Dr Paul Campbell, a volunteer with CRITICAL charity who was just 200 metres away, was one of the first responders at the scene.

The Dunmore East based doctor, whose emergency response vehicle and equipment are provided by CRITICAL, assessed Olivia's injuries, administered painkillers and stabilised her before she was transferred to hospital.

CRITICAL operates a network of more than 300 volunteer responders across Ireland, including doctors, consultants, community first responder groups, and off-duty paramedics and emergency medical technicians. All are dispatched by the National Ambulance Service and communicate with the National Emergency Operations Centre while attending incidents.

The charity has launched its Christmas campaign, "Every Light A Life", inviting donors to sponsor one of 1,308 lights, representing each emergency call answered in 2024. People can dedicate a light in honour or remembrance of someone special, with donations supporting the charity's life-saving work.

Olivia Hunt said:

"When Paul arrived he brought a sense of calm to what was a terrifying situation. He was only a couple of hundred metres away when he got the call and took control straight away. I was in shock and had suffered multiple fractures to my pelvis and lower back but Paul brought his medical expertise, pain medication and incredible care. Paul, the paramedics and the fire crews were like my guardian angels that day.

Accidents happen every single day of the week and who would you want to be there with your husband, wife or child if something happened? I want that person to have the same access to care that I had. CRITICAL is a voluntary organisation and needs our support to equip volunteers in more locations across Ireland."

David Tighe, Chief Executive of CRITICAL, said:

"We are very grateful to Olivia for deciding to tell her story. She is just one example of the thousands of people our volunteers have responded to in recent years. So far this year, we have responded to more than 1,600 calls which is an annual increase of almost 25%.

Our Christmas campaign is called 'Every Light a Life' and it's about celebrating our volunteers and the amazing work that they do day in, day out, 365 days a year right across the island of Ireland. It doesn't matter whether they are doctors like Paul or community first responders who train to respond to cardiac arrests and strokes, they all have a huge impact."

Dr Paul Campbell said:

"When I arrived on the scene that day, my priority was to get Olivia the care she needed as quickly and as safely as possible. I volunteer with CRITICAL because I've seen first-hand how vital this service is for people in our communities. The equipment and the vehicle I rely on are all made possible through donations.

It is great to see how well Olivia is doing after her accident and would like to wish her the best for ongoing recovery. I would also like to thank Olivia and her husband Eugene for the support they give to CRITICAL."

For more information or to donate to CRITICAL's Every Light A Life campaign, visit criticalcharity.ie.