Woman Recounts Ordeal After Being Hit by Van, Criticizes Driver's Sentence

Fiona McGill, a mother of two, is speaking out about the devastating impact of a hit-and-run incident in October 2024, which left her with severe injuries and ongoing pain. McGill sustained a shattered pelvis, two broken vertebrae, and a broken leg after being struck by a van. She described the extensive recovery process, which involved two major surgeries, four months in a wheelchair, and learning to walk again.

"My hip needed pinned, my pelvis was shattered, they pulled a piece of car bumper out of my thigh which had cut my muscle away," McGill stated, detailing the excruciating pain she experienced due to injuries on multiple sides of her body. "The pain was horrendous because I had injuries on every side. The nurses had to turn me [in my bed] and the pain was excruciating."

The driver of the van, Antrim GAA footballer Kavan Keenan, received a nine-month suspended prison sentence and a 12-month driving ban. McGill expressed disappointment with the sentence, particularly regarding the driving ban duration and Keenan's perceived lack of remorse throughout the legal process. "In terms of his driving, he should have got a bigger ban and he should be retested again," she said. "But I feel like his lack of remorse throughout this whole process needed more of a punishment."

During her recovery, McGill's sisters cared for her two young sons, an arrangement that significantly impacted her eldest son, who was preparing for his GCSEs. She spent five weeks in the hospital and had to parent from her hospital bed, highlighting the disruption to her family life. "I had to essentially parent from my hospital bed. My eldest was doing his GCSEs so the impact on him has been significant."

Keenan initially denied driving the vehicle involved in the crash in Martinstown, County Antrim, but later changed his plea to guilty a month before his trial was scheduled to begin. The 27-year-old admitted to injuring McGill through careless driving, failing to remain at the scene, driving without insurance, and failing to report the accident. Keenan's father had previously received a community service order for attempting to take the blame for the incident.

McGill shared that she is speaking publicly to ensure others understand the full consequences of such incidents. "Different people in my community would ask me how my leg was. The truth was it was so much more," she said. "I wake up every day in pain. It has completely changed my life."