A YOUNG GAA player who friends say is ‘always full of fun’ is in hospital fighting for his life after being involved in a late-night car crash.
Donegal teen Conor Boyle was left in a critical condition and had to be sedated by doctors after his car collided with a tree in Peterborough on Friday night.
He was driving home from work at the time after being delayed for several hours because of the Dartford Tunnel security scare.
The 18-year-old, who hails from the Gaeltacht village of Loughanure, was taken out of sedation yesterday (September 9) but remains in a coma and on life support.
His mother Sheila flew to England over the weekend to join his father Hugh at their son’s bedside.
They are expecting results of key medical tests regarding his condition this week.
Conor, a keen GAA player with Donegal club Naomh Mhuire, was travelling from Surrey to Doncaster when the accident happened.
Delayed by the Dartford Tunnel security scare, he resumed his journey shortly before midnight, when the tunnel re-opened, before his car left the road around 2:30am, colliding with a parked truck before crashing into a tree.
The teenager, who was the only person in the vehicle, was taken to a hospital in Peterborough before being transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Conor, the third oldest of six brothers, recently moved to Britain after completing his Leaving Cert in June and had been working as a labourer for his father’s tunnelling company.
He planned to stay here for a year before returning home to go to college, a friend of the family told The Irish Post.
“His family and friends are in total shock,” the family friend added.
“Conor is one beautiful boy. He is wonderful. He is bubbly and very athletic and full of fun.”
In a post on Facebook, Conor’s mother thanked those who left touching messages via social media offering their support to the family.
“Conor is stable but still in a critical condition,” she added on Sunday. “He was taken off sedation last night but is still in a coma. It is early days but he is young and strong. Please remember him in your prayers.”
A spokesperson for Naomh Mhuire GAA club, where Conor played football, said: “Sheila, Hugh and the boys, everyone at the club is thinking about you and saying a wee prayer for Conor’s speedy recovery.
“We know with his great fighting spirit it won’t be long until he is out playing in The Banks with us all again. Get well soon Wee Man!”
See More: Car Crash, Conor Boyle, Donegal, GAA
