Seven-Year-Old Tallaght Girl Loses Right Eye As Suspected Vape Explodes From Bonfire

Monday, 14 October 2024 16:29

By Martin Osborne

The explosion, which occurred in a fire on a nearby field, sent shrapnel flying, hitting Ruby directly in her right eye.

A young girl’s life has been forever changed after a freak accident left her blind in one eye.

Seven-year-old Ruby Grainger, from Fortunestown in Tallaght, was struck by debris from an explosion while returning from an ice cream van near her home on Saturday, October 5th.

The explosion, which occurred in a fire on a nearby field, sent shrapnel flying, hitting Ruby directly in her right eye.

Kfm understands that the explosion was caused by a vape discarded in the fire.

She was rushed by ambulance to Tallaght Hospital, where doctors determined that the damage was severe.

Ruby was transferred to the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital for emergency surgery.

Despite their efforts, the medical team said Ruby’s eye could not be saved.

Now blind in her right eye, Ruby’s life has been upended.

Her mother, Ciara Grainger, spoke out about the trauma her daughter is facing.

“Ruby is devastated...she is very self conscious because of kids her age bullying her."

Ruby’s journey ahead will be a challenging one.

She will need a prosthetic eye, and doctors have warned that she will never regain sight in her right eye.

The loss has also impacted Ruby’s physical abilities, forcing her to relearn how to balance.

More from Local News

Survivors’ Stories And Counselling Gave Kildare Woman Maeve Leahy Strength To Speak Out About Abuse

Audio

Thomas Howard, the 79-year-old former GAA referee from Old Kilcullen, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at Tullamore Circuit Court.
€34.5m Boost Backs Quest To Study Memory Loss And Build 3-D Biodegradable Spinal Supports

Other funded work includes discovering new yeast species in Irish ecosystems, and studying how early-life memories are lost and how this process differs in autism and between sexes, to potentially "reverse" memory loss.
Newbridge Library To Relocate Next Month Ahead Of 2026 Rebuild

Because the project will take place on the existing library site, Newbridge Community Library will temporarily close on Thursday 11 December at 8pm to allow for its relocation to Liffey Lodge, which will serve as its temporary home during the build.
13 New Gardaí For Kildare - But No Increase For Part-Time Maynooth Station

Audio

Maynooth, which is similar in size to Leixlip, still operates only a part-time Garda station and no new Gardai have been allocated to the station under the latest deployment.
Kildare’s Rain Warning Brought Forward To 9am As Remnants Of Storm Claudia Approach Ireland

A Status Orange alert for heavy rain in Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow will be in effect from 12 noon today until 8am tomorrow.
Christmas Gift Caution As E-Scooters Leading Cause Of Child Brain Injuries

Parents are being advised not to buy them for children.
€540k Worth Of Ketamine Seized In Major Kildare Raid

A man in his 20s was arrested.
Former GAA Referee Thomas Howard From Old Kilcullen Jailed For Indecently Assaulting His Niece

He previously appeared before Judge Sinéad McMullen at Tullamore Circuit Court, where the court heard details of the abuse of his niece, Maeve Leahy, during the mid-1980s and 1990s.