Donie Goulding from Cork, who is well known in the Naval Service and in cycling circles, has been left seriously injured after the incident on a cycling holiday in Spain
The family of Irish club rider Donie Goulding are planning to bring him home so his health needs can be tended to by a team of medics in his native Cork.
Donie was on a cycling holiday in southern Spain last month when the driver of a car ploughed into his group from behind at a roundabout.
Two other cyclists were also taken to hospital for treatment and another was treated at the scene, though Donie was much more seriously injured and has remained in intensive care in a Spanish hospital since the crash six weeks ago.
Since then, a fundraiser to cover of the costs of Donie's care, and his family being with him in Spain, has raised €98,000.
Irishman Noel O'Mahony, who runs ‘Orihuela Costa Cycling Camp’ in Alicante, is also leading a group of Irish people on a Camino trip to raise additional funds.
Advertisement
Donie's family has described the plans to bring him back to Cork as "the news we have all been waiting for" adding it is "finally taking shape".
"Cork University Hospital has agreed to take Donie into their care," they said in an update on the fundraiser page. "The medical teams in Spain and Ireland are currently working together to coordinate the complex logistics of his repatriation.
Related News
"While we don’t have a specific date yet, knowing that the wheels are in motion to bring him back to Cork is a huge relief for the family."
Recent updates also reported "some small but significant milestones" in Donie’s condition, including some movement of his arms and legs. Medics have also "noted a slight improvement in his brain" during a recent CT scan.
"Donie is currently in and out of consciousness. Most encouragingly, he is beginning to respond to voices and follow some basic commands from the medical team," the update added.
Donie is a member of Ballincollig Crusaders Cycling Club in Co Cork and, as a member of the Naval Service, he is well known across the Defence Forces family, and in Irish cycling circles.
The Irish group of cyclists he was part of had just arrived in Spain for a cycling holiday and were out for their first ride when the incident happened.
The three injured cyclists hospitalised - aged 56, 59, and 62 - were riding in a group when the collision occurred on the CV-925 road in the municipality of Orihuela. Civil Guard Traffic Unit officers and Orihuela Local Police rushed to the scene.
The crash happened just after 3.30pm local time on Wednesday, April 8th, near the La Pedrera reservoir, close to the village of Torremendo. Donie and those he was with had cycled in Spain many times and are experienced riders.
Spanish media has reported the man driving the car was elderly and was 'without legs'. It is unclear if he is a double amputee or if he has lost the power in his legs.
