Tragedy: Dad Pushed His Daughter Out Of Way In Fatal Accident

Martin Finn, a 60-year-old dad from Ballyfermot in Dublin who died after being struck by an SUV while out walking, has been hailed a hero after saving his daughter's life. Mr. Finn and his eighteen-year-old daughter Abbie were hit by a vehicle while out walking on the Newcastle Road, between Newcastle and Lucan, at around 9pm on Tuesday night. The father and daughter had been feeding their horses in a nearby field and were walking back to Martin's wife Carol who was waiting in a nearby car. It has transpired that the brave father of one and grandfather to three-month-old Arthur, who died shortly after the collision, saved Abbie's life by pushing her to one side. Martin's devastated wife told the Herald:

"I had to break the news to her on Wednesday night that her daddy was dead, and she said the last thing she remembers is him pushing her to the side."

Carol described the heartbreaking series of events leading up to the tragedy:

"I dropped them up to feed the horses and then parked the car and waited. Martin rang me from the field and asked where I parked and I told him. Then Abbie texted me to say they were on the way. Then somebody came up to the car and asked was I waiting for two people. I said I was and she said 'there's after being an accident up the road'. I just ran up and saw Martin on one side of the road and Abbie on the other."

Once the alarm was raised, two fire engines and one ambulance arrived at the scene of the fatal incident:

"Then the Gardai and the ambulances arrived. They were working on Martin for around twenty minutes, but I had an awful feeling he was gone. I could see the ambulance lads doing CPR on him for ages. They were keeping me back so they could work on them, but everyone was very good, I can't praise them enough."

Martin became a grandfather for the first time just three months ago when Abbie's son Arthur was born. Carol had the baby boy with her at the time of the crash:

"I had Abbie's little baby Arthur with me. He's only three months old, and someone minded him for me. We went to Tallaght Hospital after the ambulances and then Abbie was transferred to the Mater. The nurses took me into a family room and then I knew Martin was dead. They didn't have to tell me."

Mr. Finn's funeral is expected to take place early next week.