Joyce was killed 11 years ago
THE people of Dungloe have united behind the family of Joyce Campbell, the 25-year-old aid worker killed in Ethiopia 11 years ago.
An inquest yesterday returned an open verdict on the young Co Donegal woman – and her mother Joyce, who has campaigned tirelessly on the case, can now get the death certificate she has been demanding.
Social media sites were filled with praise last night for mum Irene Campbell, particularly from people in Dungloe who remembered Joyce so fondly.
Joyce died when she was involved in a tragic car crash in Ethiopia in July 2005.
The family were told by the Vincentian Lay Missionaries she had died instantly; but an autopsy report in Addis Ababa found she had died a day later, on August 1, 2005.
The truth was that, as Coroner Dr Denis McCauley said yesterday, Joyce had died within a couple of hours of the crash after helping to rescue both two Irish colleagues from a ravine.
The court heard Joyce had suffered serious internal injuries including a large cut to her liver and that she had bled to death.
Both Paul Brady from County Kildare and Alan Matthews from Dublin recalled the horror of the crash.
Neither could remember the actual incident but recalled the moments and hours afterwards after they were taken by a truck to Addis Ababa for treatment.
Alan Matthews said Joyce had repeatedly asked to go to the toilet; Dr McCauley explaining to the court that the sensation of wanting to go the toilet was caused by internal bleeding.
Joyce had just celebrated her 25th birthday when she died while working for the Vincentian Lay Missioners.
Irene Campbell said afterwards: “I have six birth certificates for my children. One has died. Now I have her death certificate and the answers I always sought but I cannot understand why the aid missionaries she was with never delivered an investigation they promised and repeatedly told me Joyce had died instantly at the scene.”
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