'I knew it was broken' injured Laois mother urges Electric Picnic to boost disability aids

An unfortunate Laois Electric Picnic goer with a disability is nursing a nasty broken nose after a fall this year.

However she has been successful in getting agreement by the festival to look again at how best to support fans with disabilities.

Ciara Lawlor is from Emo, and is a loyal Electric Picnic fan. The mother of five has Cerebral Palsy which leaves her with limited use of her right side, so she uses a walking stick to aid her mobility.

This year Ciara felt unsafe walking in the muddy site and left to go home early on Saturday evening, but on her way out, took a serious tumble.

Electric Picnic has now agreed to look at the issues Ciara is raising, to make improvements to help picknickers who are not fully able bodied.

“It was a good chat, they were very kind and understanding and they apologised. That’s what I was looking for in the first place. I’m happy with their response,” she said.

“They are going to look into my suggestions on accessibility. The need to access services even if you haven’t prebooked. Once you’ve some of the services if you don’t want to camp.

“I understand that they have to close the accessibility ticket sales because otherwise everyone would be arriving on the day saying they needed access.

“They were willing to listen and took everything on board.

“They did invite me back but I just couldn’t even think about that at the moment, it’s so raw,” the Emo mother said.

Ciara contacted the Leinster Express / Laois Live to tell her story.

First she had to get carried into the family campsite on Friday evening.

“It was my first time to stay in the family campsite with my kids and sister. I’d been saving, we bought all the bits and treats and had all the outfits packed. I was really going for my kids.

“The bridge into the campsite was completely waterlogged. They said they had been trying to pump water away but couldn’t get a generator to that spot. They had a plank down on the water, you had to walk the plank. I couldn’t walk it.

“I didn’t realise you had to apply for separate disability access, I thought you could just go in the accessible path if you had a disability. Sometimes you don’t know you’ll need a ticket. I thought it was only for wheelchair users,” she said.

She asked to use an accessible entry that leads to the accessible campsite, but was told that it was flooded.

“I just had to stand in the rain for about an hour. Eventually a worker carried me across,” she said.

“I ended up not camping, it was completely overcrowded, I didn’t feel safe. I couldn’t use my stick because the ground was so mucky and uneven, it wasn’t safe to use it. I decided to go home and come back on Saturday. It was just lucky that I’m only in Emo,” she said.

She stayed just long enough to enjoy Lewis Capaldi’s set.

“I got to see who I was looking forward to seeing most. I love Lewis, I think he’s amazing,” she said.

Her sister minded Ciara’s kids and on Saturday Ciara returned to them with her brother and nieces.

“By the time I got into the arena, it was so overcrowded and so wet and slippy near the main stage, I didn’t feel safe so I decided to cut my losses, and leave my kids with my sister again. People were pushing and bashing into everyone,” she said.

The fall happened on the way out at about 7pm on Saturday.

“I don’t drink so there was no alcohol involved either, just to say that. I can’t drink,” Ciara said.

“I was walking on a path out to an exit that I was sent on. It brought me out across the road from the church. The ground was full of potholes, it was completely uneven, all gravel, no mulch. Somehow I stuck my foot in a hole. With Cerebral Palsy I do fall, but the ground was so uneven I couldn’t stop myself from falling. I landed down on my face onto my nose. I knew straight away it was broken because of the amount of blood, I could feel it.

“I was near enough to one of the ticket checking stands. There was a group of three or four young lads that picked me up, they were so nice. I gave them an awful fright when they looked at my face.

“The young lads brought me over to the first aid bag to try to get tissues, but it had none. No disinfectant wipes. They had no way of getting me back to my car, but I didn’t want to be dramatic and get an ambulance.

“Luckily my brother was waiting to collect my nieces, but we had a long walk to his car. A couple walking behind me gave me tissues.

“It was a blur, I was in shock. I was just aching everywhere. Just traumatised and wanted to get out of there. I knew I was a state, covered in blood. My cream jacket was covered in black and blood.”

She went home instead of to the hospital.

“I had no one to watch my kids so I waited until Monday to go to the GP and they sent me straight to Tullamore. They said it was broken so I have to come back in a few days and see an ENT specialist.

“Hopefully it doesn’t have to be reset, it doesn’t look crooked. It’s very swollen though so they can’t really tell yet.

“I feel rotten, like I’ve been hit by a bus. I’ve always managed my Cerebral Palsy well but the falls now I’m in my 40s shake the bones,” she said.

“I was absolutely gutted. I held it together when I was with my nieces and brother but when I got home I was so upset. I was planning to camp and make positive memories with my kids after a difficult year. Luckily I got a photo with my kids on Friday when we arrived, other than that it doesn’t even look like I was there.

“My sister Christine flew the flag and minded all the kids for the weekend, she’s my hero. She does everything for me,” Ciara said.

She thanks those who helped her.

“If I knew their names, the bystanders who helped me were fantastic. There was one worker who lifted me across on Friday, a guy who worked with Pulse security. The next day, he saw me and came up to ask if I was ok.”