Misty-eyed but immensely grateful to be alive, Niall Murray is looking forward to returning to Ireland sometime next week after months of physical rehabilitation.
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Murray was one of the Irish college students injured in a balcony collapse in Berkeley, Calif., on June 16, 2015 that killed six others.
“I remember the night”. He says he doesn’t remember when he hit the ground.
“I figured I must have done something like that to protect my head”, Murray said as he placed his hands on the left side of his face.
He says he remembers waking up in the emergency room and was surrounded by his friends.
Niall Murray, who appeared in a wheelchair with bandages on his arms and a boot on his left foot, choked up when he talked about going home soon and seeing the families of those who died.
Hannah Waters – who is still receiving treatment at Santa Clara – was in the audience at the conference earlier today. In some of the first public comments from a victim of the collapse, Murray said Friday that he would give anything to go back and warn his friends not to go out on the balcony.
Among his injuries, Niall was treated for a broken wrist, three broken fingers, a broken heel and elbow, and his right index finger barely survived amputation.
Though they did not specify the exact date when he will leave the hospital, the medical staff said he and his family would be returning to Ireland next week.
Another of those injured, Clodagh Cogley, 21, previously posted a Facebook status revealing she had been paralyzed in the accident.
She wrote: ‘Life is short and I intend to honor those who died by living the happiest and most fulfilling life possible.
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It is often hard to prosecute property owners for building failure, and the last known criminal prosecution of a balcony collapse in California occurred in San Francisco nearly 20 years ago.
