INVESTIGATIONS are under way after it emerged a teenager who was knocked down and killed had been in an ambulance less than two hours earlier.
Separate probes by the ambulance service and the Police Ombudsman into the death of Shannon McQuillan (19) have been ordered.
The law student from Dunloy, Co Antrim, died and her boyfriend Owen McFerran (21) is critically ill in hospital after they were hit by a van on Moneynick Road in Toome at about 3.40am on Saturday.
The ambulance service confirmed it received a call at 2.06am about a young woman, Ms McQuillan, who had fallen on ice in Magherafelt and was reported to be “unresponsive”.
Within five minutes paramedics were at the scene. They began treatment before transferring her to an emergency vehicle.
An ambulance service spokesman revealed that the journey was “terminated” on the outskirts of Toome but refused to say why.
“The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is aware that the patient was subsequently killed following an road traffic accident in the area,” he said.
“NIAS understands that the PSNI has notified the incident to the Police Ombudsman’s office in line with their own procedures and as such it would be inappropriate to provide any further comment.
“NIAS will also undertake an internal review of the circumstances of this call.
“We are aware that a young life has been lost and that a family is grieving this loss. The service would like to extend its sympathies to her family and friends on their tragic loss.”
The ombudsman’s office said: “In line with standard procedure, police contacted the Police Ombudsman’s office as the man and woman had been in contact with police some time before the collision.
“Police Ombudsman investigators are now conducting preliminary enquiries into the nature of that contact.”
Ms McQuillan’s brother Paul told The Irish News he will never meet anyone like his sister.
“Shannon was a truly unique and special person, absolutely one of a kind,” he said.