ONE employee of the Creamery Bar and Restaurant in Bunratty had a lucky escape on Wednesday afternoon after a tree fell onto her SUV as she was just about to get into it.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Garzyna Witkowska, who is from Poland and lives in Ennis, said, “It was on Wednesday at about three o’clock, it was parked beside my workplace. I looked out the window and saw trees falling, so I started running out to move my car from the back to the front, where there are no trees. My keys were stuck in my pocket and that delayed me and that’s why I survived.”
She was just seconds from the vehicle when the tree fell on it and said that having a number of keyrings in her pocket was all that had delayed her.
The vehicle was a relatively new Dacia Duster but she knew things could have been far worse. “It’s only nine months old, nearly brand new but I’m very lucky. I was shocked at first but I’m so delighted I was safe.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.