'Eerie silence' surrounds Moira following one-year-old's death

  • UTV
The young boy died at the scene on Meeting Street in Moira. Credit: Pacemaker

The one-year-old boy who died in a collision involving a lorry in Moira was Frank Michael McIlduff.

He was from College Grove in Lurgan.

The collision, which happened on Meeting Street in Moira at around 1.40pm, also involved the child's grandmother who was left with serious injuries.

She is being treated in hospital while her grandson died at the scene of the collision.

In a death notice, his family said the boy died "as a result of a tragic road accident".It read: "Precious son of Fra and Mary and a much loved grandson of Pauline and the late Francis McIlduff and Margaret and Michael Gracey.

"House private, for immediate family and close friends only.

"Saint Philomena, our friend in Heaven, look after him."

A Church of Ireland minister who consoled people shortly after the collision said the village was trying to come to terms with what has happened.

Reverend Joanne Megarrel of St John's in Moira told UTV: "After the accident happened I drove and came round the long way into the village, down the street, greeting people as they were making their way home ; completely stunned by what had happened.

She added: "There was an eerie silence over Moira which is usually so busy, and people making their way home at that time in the evening.

"But it was strangely silent and people were very reflective of their mood with what had happened."

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it received a report of an incident on the Meeting Street Area in Moira at around 1.30pm.

Two ambulances, two officers and the NIAS Hazardous Area Response Team were dispatched to the scene.

One person was taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital, and NIAS spokesman said.

The PSNI's Detective Sergeant Harrison said: “The road has since fully reopened to all traffic and our investigation is now underway to establish the circumstances of the collision.

“We are appealing to anyone who was travelling in the Meeting Street or Main Street areas at this time, or who may have witnessed the collision or captured it on their dash-cam, to contact officers in the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference 969 08/03/23.

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