Group for young people traumatised after Greenvale disaster set up

A campaign group has been set up for young people who may have been injured or traumatised by the events which led to the deaths of three teenagers at The Greenvale Hotel last St Patrick’s Day.
Sadness in Cookstown that Greenvale Hotel could be demolished following St Patrick's night tragedy.Sadness in Cookstown that Greenvale Hotel could be demolished following St Patrick's night tragedy.
Sadness in Cookstown that Greenvale Hotel could be demolished following St Patrick's night tragedy.

And a leading law professor known for investigative work on the Hillsborough disaster when 96 Liverpool supporters died, is to meet those affected by the tragedy.

Three teenagers, Lauren Bullock (aged 17), Connor Currie (aged 16) and Morgan Barnard (aged 17) died in the incident at the Cookstown venue which hundreds of young people attended.

A Facebook group, entitled ‘Survivors of Greenvale’, was set up yesterday (Thursday).

Plans to demolish tragedy-hit Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.Plans to demolish tragedy-hit Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.
Plans to demolish tragedy-hit Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.

It said it had enlisted the help of a solicitor who had engaged Professor Phil Scraton of Queen’s University who was involved with the public inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster, to meet with the young people affected by Greenvale.

The post said: “We have set up this group for the many other victims of the Greenvale tragedy. The survivors. We want answers and we believe that there is strength in numbers.

“We want redress for the hundreds of kids who thankfully made it home but are now struggling with what happened on what should have been a fun night out.

“This is not just about what they had to watch, it is about what they went through physically.

“They were crushed. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t help themselves. They had bruises, bite marks, boot marks, and injuries.

“Some of the stories are horrendous. Our kids had to fight for their lives. They carried each other to ambulances, put their friends in recovery positions, gave CPR, made sure their friends were accounted for and got themselves home to towns all across Northern Ireland. How lucky we are to have got them home!

“Now they are dealing with the aftermath and the effects of trauma. It is very hard to watch!

“We have engaged Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law in Belfast, (the firm also representing Morgan’s family), to represent our kids and we extend an invite to other survivors and their parents to join our campaign for justice for every single child that was involved.

“This is so reminiscent of what happened at Hillsborough so Claire, on our behalf, has engaged Professor Phil Scraton, Queens University. He has agreed to hold a public meeting with all of those affected at the end of July. We would urge you to get in touch, either through the page or by contacting Claire McKeegan / Phoenix Law directly on 02890328383 to register your interest.

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