The family of Michael Gill, the Bus Éireann driver who died after his bus left the road between Athlone and Moate on Wednesday of last week, has issued a statement expressing their gratitude to the emergency services and appealing for privacy at this very sad time.
‘We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Michael.
‘We would like to express our sincere thanks to the emergency services at the scene who worked tirelessly on Michael, and who were with him in his final moments.
‘We as his family very much need privacy at this incredibly difficult time. While people may wish to pay tribute to the wonderful man he was, we ask people who knew Michael to please share their memories with us privately.
‘To allow us to grieve and to begin to try to come to terms with our loss, we particularly ask media to respect our wish and to refrain from covering or attending family events in the coming days.’
The funeral of Michael Gill took place in his native village of Kenagh, in Longford, on Monday.
The married father of six, who was aged in his mid-50s, died at Tullamore hospital after a Bus Éireann bus he had been driving left the road at Killogeenaghan, on the R446 between Athlone and Moate. No other vehicle was involved in the incident, Gardaí confirming that some of the 18 passengers on board required hospital treatment for non life-threatening injuries.
Mr Gill joined Bus Éireann in late 2022 and operated from the company’s Athlone depot, having previously spent 16 years with Farrelly’s Coaches, based in Kenagh.
Tributes
Tributes were paid to the late Mr Gill upon news of his untimely death, Longford councillor, Colm Murray noting that the deceased was a person who “everybody knew and everybody liked”.
“He was the sort of guy that, if you were getting on the bus in poor form, he’d have you brightened up a bit by the time you got off it,” Mr Murray stated.
Condolences
Bus Éireann also expressed its sympathies to the friends and family of the driver who died in the crash.
‘This is a very sad event, affecting everyone in Bus Éireann. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of our colleague who received the worst possible news last night. We thank the emergency services for their work and their assistance to our colleague and to all the passengers affected by this difficult experience,’ a statement issued by the company read.
