BY MICHELE CANNING SMITH
A STRABANE parish priest has said in his 34 years of ministry he has never come across injuries like those caused to the body of one of his parishioners.
Fr Declan Boland is supporting the family in their quest for answers after we exclusively revealed in our sister paper, the Tyrone Herald, that the 78 year old pensioner sustained 34 fractures to her body, the vast majority of which occurred after death.
Folowing that story, Altnagelvin Hospital has launched an investigation, and the family have been asked to meet with the Trust.
Mary McGinley, of Orchard Street, Strabane, died of pneumonia at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in January. A post-mortem report sent to the family GP has now established that she had 34 fractures of her ribs.
The family physician, Dr John Etherson, told the family that the pathologist "strongly suggests that the vast majority of the fractures were sustained after death, probably as the body was moved".
Mrs McGinley's daughters and sons are now demanding answers as to how the injuries were sustained and have enlisted solicitor John Fahy in their quest for explanations.
Fr Declan Boland said, "In my 34 years as a priest I have never come across a situation like this. This has only served to cause more upset to the family.
"A more loving gentle and caring lady you could not find than Maureen (Mary), she was a mother to everyone. And for this to happen, it is only right that the family seek answers.
"I support them in their search of the truth. Until the truth is delivered the family will not be able to grieve properly.
"Maureen had 34 fractures of the ribs, the majority of which were sustained after death. Why and how could this have happened?
"I am very much at one with the family, it's a very difficult situation and it must be brought to a satisfactory conclusion for them.
"This is a situation that no family wants to be in and this family in their wildest nightmares could not have envisaged this. They have to pursue this to seek clarity.
"The McGinley's are a very modest family, this is not the type of family that would have taken this step lightly but they are doing this in the memory of their mother, and for their own peace of mind.
"They have to get answers to ensure that another family does not have to suffer like this. They have been arrested in their ability to grieve. This is a horrible situation they find themselves in.
"We want to know what happened from the time my mother left Ward 21 at the hospital to the morgue. We don't want to point the finger of blame. We are not looking to pursue this for money. We just want an explanation as to why my mother sustained so many fractures to her ribs," said her son Martin.
