MUM’S AGONY
‘I talk to her at night & cry’ says Grace Lynch’s mum as she reveals last image that haunts her after scrambler horror
THE heartbroken mum of Grace Lynch, who died after being struck by a scrambler bike in Dublin, has revealed: “I talk to her every night and I cry.”
And Siobhan Lynch claims her tragic daughter has been let down by the Gardai and the Government.
Grace, 16, was fatally injured when she was involved in a collision with a scrambler at a pedestrian crossing on Rathoath Road, not far from her home in Finglas, on January 25, 2026.
Her parents Siobhan and Martin have opened up about the impact her death has had on them and what needs to be done to tackle the issue in a new Virgin Media doc, Ireland’s Deadly Roads.
Reflecting on the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, Siobhan recalled: “When they told me I could hold her hand, I had to pull the blanket up and her hand was black and blue, and her legs were twisted. It’s an image I will never get out of my head.
“My days are full but my nights are empty and that’s where my thoughts come in. I talk to her every night and I cry every night.
“There are nights I’m not sleeping because the minute I close my eyes I see her and it’s not the beautiful image that I see, it’s a horrendous image.”
At the heart of the documentary are the deeply personal stories of families affected by tragedy.
The programme also hears from the families of Mia Lily Keogh O’Keeffe and Aisling Brady, who all lost their lives on Irish roads.
Following Grace’s death, new legislation known as Grace’s Law was introduced to address the use of scramblers and similar vehicles.
However, the doc questions whether stronger enforcement of existing laws could have prevented such tragedies in the first place.
Siobhan said her daughter was let down by everybody, saying: “The Government failed her, the ministers failed her, Dublin City council failed her.
“They all had measures in place for these roads, for these traffic lights, for laws to be brought in.
“The Gardai even failed her because that particular day they allowed those people to go around on those scramblers for hours without stopping them. The whole lot of them failed her.”
And Grace’s father Martin said serious change is needed, adding: “The time for talking is over.”
An 18-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving causing Grace’s death.
Meanwhile, Louise Keogh O’Keeffe, mother of Mia Lily, speaks about the devastating day she found out her daughter had died alongside their pet dog Bowie while at a set of traffic lights.
The 16-year-old and her beloved pooch were killed when they were crossing the road just moments from their home in Navan, Co Meath last February.
Louise described the moments after the crash when she was in the hospital begging medical staff to bring her daughter back to life.
She said: “I could see her eyes were open. I remember thinking there was no life there, but I begged them to keep working on her. I begged them not to stop.
“I’m never going to get over her not being with me, never.”
A man in his 20s, who was arrested in connection with the incident, was released without charge and a file sent to the DPP.
Her devastated mother added: “Our whole system is wrong, it’s too slow and it’s backwards.
“It’s outdated and it’s not good enough. And I don’t know what it’s going to take to change.”
The family of Aisling Brady, who died in a collision, also speak in the programme.
The 20-year-old was attempting to turn right at a junction in Longford in January 2015 when she was hit from behind and her car forced out onto the side of the road where it collided with an oncoming jeep.
The student sustained serious brain injuries and died in hospital six weeks later on February 28.
A man was sentenced to 240 hours community service in lieu of a six month prison sentence.
Her sister Michelle said: “We were losing her in slow motion.
“It was really hard to sit by her bedside and watch her fade away. Aisling lived her life without any fear or worry.”
The Virgin doc investigates growing criticism of Ireland’s road safety system and explores major concerns around lengthy delays in driving tests, the high number of learner drivers on the road, and whether current Essential Driver Training requirements adequately reflect complex road conditions.
These include growing numbers of cyclists, e-scooters, scramblers, and other vulnerable road users.
- Ireland’s Deadly Roads airs on Wednesday at 9pm on VM1.
Source: https://www.thesun.ie/news/17065117/grace-lynch-scrambler-death/
