Little Neil Shanahan was at a coffee morning with his mum at the Strand Hotel in Limerick on July 2. While playing in the foyer, he wandered into an open elevator, which traveled up to the sixth floor of the building. Leaving the elevator, he walked to a balcony and slipped off.
Witnesses recalled the horror moment when the child dangled in mid-air, holding on to one of the letters of the hotel's rooftop sign, before plummeting to the concrete ground below.
Incredibly, an American nurse who had been on holiday in Limerick was one of the first to reach the child on the ground, where she performed CPR before an ambulance transferred him to University Hospital Limerick.
Neil, who has no scars from his injuries, is now back at home with his family, including brothers Billy and Mairtín, in Farranshone after spending five weeks at Temple Street Children's Hospital. He will continue to receive physiotherapy in his home town for now.
Speaking to the
Irish Independent, Neil's mum Martina said she and her husband Mike said they are still coming to terms with the accident:
"I believe it was a miracle. I believe I got a dig-out, I really do," Martina said.
"He spent 70 hours in a critical condition. I'm just so delighted he's home. I'm just so delighted I got my [boy] back. He's my life. I would never have got over it if we had lost him,"
"It is just wonderful to get them all back together, because I had to hand over my little boy, our baby, for five weeks, so that wasn't an easy thing. It is lovely to have us all back as a unit. It's just so special, it's a lovely time," she added.
Main image: Irish Independent/ Press 22
