THE mother of a teenager facing surgery after being hit with debris from a burning car in Derry has appealed for calm after two nights of trouble in the city.
On Monday, the 19-year-old named Molly suffered a broken jaw and a laceration to her face when the car was set alight in the Galliagh area.
More disturbances have followed the incident, including shots being fired in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Speaking to the BBC, the teenager’s mother Patricia said she was horrified when she came home injured.
“She’s very brave, she’s holding on there at the minute but she’s doing ok,” she said.
Read more
- Teenage girl will require surgery after sustaining serious facial injuries during Derry disorder
- Shots fired in Derry during second night of disorder following bonfire removal
“She was just out walking with her friends, of course they were probably stopped for a wee nosy but the car was at the other side of the street.
“She took a phone call and all of sudden (said) ‘is my jaw locked?’ and she was hit with debris that came off the car.
“She phoned her daddy and the next thing she was in shock and drove herself home. We were horrified when we seen her.”
Her father brought the young woman straight to hospital where it was confirmed her jaw had been broken in two places as well as suffering a large gash on her face.
“She’s undergoing surgery this morning and has to get two plates in her face,” her mother said.
“She’s been very brave about it, I think she must still be in shock. A lot braver than we are anyway.
“She just has a long journey ahead of her now when she has this surgery, really it’s about her now, getting her through it.”
Asked for a message for those behind two nights of trouble in the city, she said: “Just to calm down and stop breaking their own communities.
“We all love to go to a bonfire but they are extremely dangerous at the same time. So just asking them to calm down and stop doing what they’re doing.”
She added: “It’s just history repeating itself, just the same things happening over and over again.”
