Tragic Lisburn bus depot victim’s family ‘truly devastated’

The scene of the tragic incident at Lisburn bus depot is covered by a sheet on Monday as police investigated

Archdeacon Andrew Forster from Saint Anne’s in Dungannon, who is expected to conduct the funeral service for 48-year-old Linda Stewart Rooney at 2pm on Thursday, said her family “are truly devastated at what has happened”.

“Linda’s family are very much involved in the life of the parish here in Dungannon,” he said.

“I have met Linda in the past and she was in my view a very quiet unassuming person. Lately she had started a new job and things were looking up for her.

“But everyone was really taken aback by the awful tragedy of this.”

Ms Rooney – from Ashlea Place in Lisburn – died after being knocked down by a bus at the Lisburn bus depot on Monday morning.

The depot was closed for several hours while accident investigators examined the scene.

Archdeacon Forster said Ms Rooney was “from a large loving family and they are absolutely devastated”.

“You can only imagine what they are going through,” he said.

“The family feel very much for anyone who witnessed the trauma of it all.

“They are a quiet unassuming family and they are aware of the impact it has had on so many people including themselves.

“That is how they are feeling at the moment. I was struck that they were thinking about the other people who were there. It says a lot about the type of people they are.”

UUP councillor for Dungannon, Walter Cuddy, extended his sympathies to the family “many of whom I know from the area”.

Mr Cuddy, who owns Sloan’s newagents in Dungannon, said one of his staff was Ms Rooney’s niece and had phoned in to say she was unable to come into work.

“They are a very big family in Dungannon and I know her mother Iris as she is in and out of the shop regularly,” he said.

“I want to extend my sympathy to the Rooney family.”

A Translink spokeswoman said a full investigation was under way into the fatal incident which happened around 10.15am.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Ms Rooney,” she added.

Ms Rooney is survived by her children Rachel, Rebecca, Kathleen and Adrian, her mother Iris, and siblings Clarice, Estelle, Stephen, Edward and James.