A teenage girl who witnessed the Menlo Pier tragedy in Galway that claimed the lives of three young men has told of the horrifying scene for the first time.
She explained that she too was supposed to be in the car with the three victims at the time of the tragedy.
Christopher Stokes, John Keenan and Wojcieck Panek all died when the car they were in fell roof first into inches of water at the Pier killing John and Wojcieck instantly before claiming the life of Chris later that morning.
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The teenager was best friends with Christopher Stokes, 19, and John Keenan Sammon, 16, and had been invited by the boys to hang out for the night.
The Galway girl, whose parent agreed to allow her speak to GalwayBeo, said: "I knew the boys for a long time. When I lived in Galway city, I used to meet up and they'd always be slagging and messing, they loved the craic."
She met the boys in Loughrea on Friday night and spent the evening cruising around Galway with Chris and John just hours before their tragic death.
"We were at home on Friday night when the boys text us and asked if me and another girl wanted to come out for the night. We said yes.
"The boys travelled from the city to meet us at a petrol station in Loughrea. We got in the car and they were laughing, slagging and having the craic. It was so normal, it was the usual, like nothing was wrong. They were in a great mood."
She tells Galway Beo that they had a spin around Galway before heading to Menlo Pier. She says the four chatted for around half an hour before heading to the nearby petrol station for a can of Red Bull.
Once they got back to Menlo Pier from the shop, another car was there at the pier with a young man in the driver's seat. The young man asked the boys for a light. That young man was Wojciech Panek, 17, who quickly bonded with John and Chris over cars.
After a chat about Wojcieck's diesel car, the three boys said they would go for a spin in the car. John and Chris asked if the girls wanted to join them for a spin.
Both girls declined so they could charge their phones in Chris' car. But for their dying phones, the girls could have been with the boys on their tragic last journey.
She tells us that "the boys said 'OK, we'll be back in two minutes'."
She continued: "Five minutes later, we see the headlights and think 'Oh, they are back very quick.' Then we heard a loud bang. We hopped out of the car to see what the massive noise was. I didn't know where the car had gone.
"My friend screamed 'The car is in the water'. I dropped to my knees and screamed with the shock. I went and got my phone from Chris' car to call emergency services. I screamed their names and there was no response.
"The Gardaí and ambulance was out there in five or ten minutes, I saw them pull the boys out. I saw John, lifeless. I saw Chris. My friends being pulled from the car."
The girl explained to Galway Beo just how deeply the tragic incident has affected her: "Seeing that happen is something I'll never get over, I will never forget that night. It's something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I'm torn to pieces, they were my best friends, they were so young and had their whole lives ahead of them. They took a piece of me with them that night, I will never be the same."
The teenager remembers her friends as joyous. Boys who loved a laugh, who loved teasing their friends and enjoyed a good slagging off. She tells us that her choice of hat that fateful night had had the boys calling her "Slim Shady" for the laugh.
She tells us that despite the harrowing scene she is still "so happy and grateful" that she got to spend that time with them before they "gained their wings".
The three boys whose lives were tragically lost at Menlo Pier will be buried this week. A requiem mass for John Keenan Sammon will take place at the Church of the Resurrection, Ballinfoyle on Wednesday 15 February 2023, after which he will be laid to rest in Rahoon Cemetery.
Christopher Stokes' requiem mass will also take place at the Church of the Resurrection, Ballinfoyle with the mass taking place at 12 noon on Thursday 16 February with a procession to his final resting place at Rahoon Cemetary afterwards.
Removal at 7pm to the Church of the Resurrection, Ballinfoyle. Requiem Mass at 12 noon on Thursday 16 February. Funeral afterwards to Rahoon Cemetery.
The ashes of Wojcieck Panel will be interred at Calvary Cemetery, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny at a ceremony set for Friday 17 February 2023 at 2pm.
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