Berkeley students: Clodagh Cogley arrives back in Dublin

Trinity student suffered extensive damage to her ribs, lungs and spine in balcony collapse

Clodagh Cogley (21) arrived at Dublin Airport on Friday, six weeks after the Berkeley balcony collapse which left six students dead and a further seven injured.
Clodagh Cogley (21) arrived at Dublin Airport on Friday, six weeks after the Berkeley balcony collapse which left six students dead and a further seven injured.

Clodagh Cogley (21) arrived at Dublin Airport on an Aer Lingus flight from San Francisco at 12.20pm on Friday, six weeks after the Berkeley balcony collapse which left six students dead and a further seven injured.

She had been receiving treatment at the brain and spinal cord injury rehab facility in the Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre after suffering extensive damage to her ribs, lungs and spine.

A third-year psychology student at Trinity College, Ms Cogley is from Milltown in south Dublin, and is the daughter of TV3 director of broadcasting Niall Cogley. She is also the grand-daughter of legendary rugby commentator Frank Cogley.

She becomes the fourth person injured in the incident to return home over recent weeks. Seán Fahey, Conor Flynn and Jack Halpin have already made their way back to Ireland, while Hannah Waters, Niall Murray and Aoife Beary remain in Santa Clara.At the end of June, Ms Cogley gave an update on her condition via social media in which she described the chances of ever using her legs again as "bleak".

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"The thing I'm taking from this tragedy is that life is short and I intend to honour those who died by living the happiest and most fulfilling life possible," read an excerpt from the Facebook post.

At the time, she expected to remain in the US for a further two months but it appears her repatriation was subsequently expedited.

Fundraising events for individual survivors of the balcony collapse have been taking place over the last few weeks, and a concert held in their collective honour managed to raise €30,000 which was earmarked for rehabilitation and transport costs.

A Berkeley Tragedy Fund set up in the wake of events in California has to date raised $281,176 (€253,000), which will be dispersed between all of the 13 families directly affected by the disaster.