A grief-stricken mum has paid tribute to her son after he was killed in a tragic road accident on holiday.
Dylan Fitzpatrick, 10, died in the crash in Turkey alongside his dad Eoin Fitzpatrick on Monday whilst they holidayed with Dylan’s other brother Cian, 14.
Claire Dowling – Dylan’s mum – has dashed to the country to comfort Cian after the horror crash in the tourist resort of Alanya.
I understood Dylan and Eoin, 36, were riding a moped when it was struck by a bus at around 3.30pm on Monday, hours before the family was due to fly home to Portlaoise in Co Laois, Ireland, on Tuesday morning.
Talented GAA player Cian was with Mr Fitzpatrick’s partner and her kids at the time and thankfully did not witness the crash.
Ms Dowling dashed to Dublin Airport on Tuesday to get a flight to Turkey after she was told of her son and ex-partner’s death, telling the Irish Mirror she was still unclear on the exact details of the crash.
‘I haven’t even gotten to Turkey to see my boy or his father. Nobody has told me anything,’ she said.
‘I’m just glad that they’re together. My smallest boy. I just hope that when it happened – I don’t know how it happened – that he was smiling. He loves me and he loves his daddy too and I am so happy that they’re okay together somewhere.’
Ms Dowling described Dylan as a loving young boy with a sharp wit, who loved art and sports.
‘He was the kindest, kindest person but he could cut you in two as well,’ she said.
‘He was such a character and anyone who met him would have said the same. He is 10 years of age and he still holds my hand and tells me he loves me, no matter where we are. He is so, so kind.’
She added: ‘He loves drawing and he loves swimming and he loves golf – he loves all the things that normal 10 year old kids don’t like. He wasn’t like the rest of them.
‘I would come out of my bedroom door in a dress and I might look not great and my teenager son wouldn’t say anything but my smaller boy would say ‘’mammy you look beautiful.’’ He was so kind. He loved life.
‘The children would holiday each year with their parents separately after the couple amicably went their separate ways,’ Ms Dowling said.
‘What breaks my heart is he was supposed to land today and I know he was dying to come home,’ she said.
‘He loved being at home. He doesn’t have many friends. He loves being at home, he loves being at home with me. He loves the simple things in life. He won’t ever ask for much or care for much.
‘She also spoke of her last conversation with the boys in which they spoke of looking forward to coming home.’
Media reports in Turkey say the father and son were struck by the bus close to a pedestrian crossing on Monday afternoon, with the bus driver – a 28-year-old Turkish national – later arrested.
Medics and cops rushed to the scene, but the father and son were both pronounced dead.
Turkish police confirmed that the two victims were Irish and were on holiday in the area when the disaster happened.
