I had to learn to walk again after hit-and-run, tell me about this news in (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq20vyddx080o)

This BBC News report details the experience of Fiona McGill, a mother of two from Northern Ireland, who suffered life-altering injuries after being struck in a hit-and-run collision in Martinstown, County Antrim, in October 2024.

Fiona McGill was hit by a van and sustained severe, extensive injuries, including a shattered pelvis, two broken vertebrae, a broken leg, and a pinned hip. Surgeons also had to remove a piece of the vehicle’s bumper that had embedded into her thigh, cutting through muscle tissue. She spent five weeks in the hospitalrelying on her sisters to care for her two sons during her recoveryunderwent two major surgeries, spent four months in a wheelchair, and had to relearn how to walk. She noted that she continues to live with chronic pain every day.

The driver of the vehicle was Kavan Keenan (27), an Antrim GAA footballer from Millfield, Ballymena. Following the crash:

• Keenan fled the scene and initially denied being the driver.

• His father initially attempted to take the blame for the incident and was subsequently sentenced to a community service order.

• Keenan changed his plea to guilty a month before his scheduled trial, admitting to causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving, failing to stop and remain at the scene, failing to report an accident, and driving without insurance.

• The court sentenced Keenan to a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, alongside a 12-month driving disqualification. While the judge acknowledged Keenan’s community involvement and references speaking to his remorse, Keenan’s failure to identify himself at the scene was cited as an aggravating factor.

Speaking publicly about the ordeal, McGill expressed deep frustration with the sentencing outcome. She stated that the driving ban was far too lenient, that he should be required to retest, and that she felt Keenan showed no genuine remorse toward her or the impact the incident had on her and her family’s lives.