A 45-year-old mother who survived a horrific accident that killed her husband and children has urged others to cherish their families and loved ones every moment.
Geraldine Mullan was the only one who survived a car accident in Ireland, which took the lives of her husband, 49-year-old John, and two children, Amelia, 6, and Tomas, 14, earlier this year.
In an interview with RTE’s Prime Time, Geraldine said: “I can’t turn back the clock, I wish it could be the 19th August and things were different. But I can’t change what happened on the 20th August.
“But in some small way, especially as we’re coming up to this Christmas yule season, my Christmas present to John, Tomas and Amelia is that more kids get hugs and kisses from their mums and dads.”
She continued: “If more people tell their loved ones that they love each other. I didn’t know that the 20th of August was going to be the last day I got to tell John, Tomas and Amelia that I love them.”
According to reports, the family were driving from a day out when John suddenly lost control of the vehicle at around 10:20 pm.
Their vehicle skidded down an embankment and only Geraldine survived. She said 14-year-old Tomas was found with his arms wrapped around 6-year-old Amelia.
Speaking about the day of the incident, the grieving mother said: “The kids were all excited mummy had a day off work, daddy had a day off work and they had a couple of weeks before they were due to go back to school.
“So in the morning we were just going around getting a few jobs done. Getting the crest on Amelia’s uniform, getting Tomas’s school uniform and had a lovely lunch then headed on in for a beautiful family day out.”
The heartbroken mother said she tries to remember their laughter and smiles from their last day together.
“When they were bringing me to John, Tomas and Amelia they stood in unity and it was heartbreaking. My heart broke that night,” she expressed.
Geraldine said it was eerily quiet to go back to their home, and it has been difficult to see the children’s bedrooms.
“John’s was suppose to be 50 two weeks after the accident, so one of the presents myself and the kids had organised was 50 photos,” she shared.
“Unfortunately John didn’t get to see them but the kids had picked them out their favourites. Each photograph tells a story, that will bring me back to a moment in time. So when I am struggling and when I’m finding the days difficult, I can just look at the photograph and remember the smile coming out of the photo.”
She added: “I’ll love them for the rest of my days. You know, I tell them every day still I love them and I always will, you know, so I will never give up hope.”
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