Family praise response after girl knocked down in Laois

The family of a young schoolgirl who was knocked down near her school in Portarlington has praised those who responded at the scene. 

10 year-old Christina Betyárová was crossing the Station Road in Portarlington when she was hit by a car on Wednesday, September 24 at around 2.40pm. 

Christina’s mother Lucie Betyárová said “the staff was very good from the ambulance and they were there in five minutes.” She said the hospital staff at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore, were also very good in dealing with the incident. 

Lucie also praised a man who was in traffic and got out of his car to provide assistance at the scene and then waited with Christina until the ambulance arrived and she said the School Principal had also helped.  

Christina was rushed to hospital in Tullamore where she underwent tests and was examined for broken bones and internal injuries.  Thankfully, she didn’t have any serious injuries and was able to return home that night suffering from bruising. 

Her sister Sophie said “she got brought to the hospital and they did like screens on her, and nothing was broken.”  Sophie said her sister, who attends the local Presentation Primary School,  was crossing the road after some friends when she was struck by the car. 

She said that while Christina only suffered bruising as a result of the collision, the incident has left her anxious and she is now brought to and from school by her parents despite living in a nearby estate.

When asked if Christina was nervous around traffic, Sophie said, “she is a bit about crossing the roads and stuff.”  She doesn’t expect Christina to get over the incident any time soon. “It will take time, she will obviously remember it forever,” Sophie said.  

She is concerned about safety along Station Road where roadworks have been ongoing for a number of weeks.  She thinks the work should have been carried out during the summer and not while the children are back in school. 

Sophie said her family has lived in Ireland for 20 years, having moved to Limerick before settling in Portarlington 10 years ago. The family are originally from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

Pictured above from left to Right: Christina Betyarova, Ludovit Betyar,Lucie Betyarova, David Paul Betyar, Natalie Betyarova and Sophie Ela Betyarova.

Local Cllr Aidan Mullins said he was aware of difficulties being faced by residents due to the  ongoing works on Station Road. “I have had a number of complaints about the traffic management system,” he said. 

“There is a lot of complaints about a**holes going against the flow of traffic,” said Cllr Mullins. 

He said stop go traffic management systems were “particularly annoying” when they are in place outside schools.  Cllr Mullins expects the work to be completed by the end of this month. 

A spokesperson for Laois County Council said: “The current ongoing works on Station Road are planned to be completed by the end of October. Laois County Council is ensuring that safety is the priority while the works are ongoing by continuously monitoring the project and taking the appropriate measures to ensure pedestrian safety throughout the works area.”