Hospital patient 'carried 15 miles in luggage hold of bus after getting locked in while trying to retrieve her bag'

  • The middle-aged woman had travelled to Ballyvaughan from Galway
  • It is thought she fainted after climbing in to find her luggage
  • She wasn't discovered until the bus arrived in Doolin

By Steve Nolan

Published: 06:15 EST, 27 August 2013 | Updated: 06:33 EST, 27 August 2013


A hospital patient is said to have been carried more than 15 miles in the baggage compartment of a coach after becoming trapped inside as she tried to retrieve her bag.

Bus Éireann has launched an investigation into how the middle-aged woman became locked in the luggage compartment as she arrived home in Ballyvaughan, Ireland, after a hospital appointment.

It is believed that the woman, who does not wish to be named, tried to reach into the baggage compartment to pick up her small bag which was hidden behind larger luggage.

Trapped: The woman had been on board a bus Eireann service from a hospital in Galway to her home in County Clare

Trapped: The woman had been on board a bus Eireann service from a hospital in Galway to her home in County Clare (file picture)

It is thought that she may have fainted after climbing into the department.

The hold door then closed and the bus continued on its journey.

The woman, who had travelled more than 30 miles from a hospital in Galway, in the West Region of Ireland, to her County Clare home, was not discovered until the coach stopped some 15 miles down the road in Doolin.

Unaware where she was, the woman spoke with the driver and arrangements were made to get her home by car via Lisdoonvarna.

A friend of the woman's family told the Irish Times: 'She doesn't want to make a big deal about it and I don't know if it's because she's embarrassed or just isn't bothered by it but I know she was very frightened by the whole thing.

Home: The woman had got off the bus at Ballyvaughan, County Clare, and went to retrieve her bag when she got locked in the luggage hold

Home: The woman had got off the bus at Ballyvaughan, County Clare, and went to retrieve her bag when she got locked in the luggage hold

Long journey: The woman travelled from Galway to Ballyvaughan and was then carried on to Doolin further down the Irish coast after becoming trapped

Long journey: The woman travelled from Galway to Ballyvaughan and was then carried on to Doolin further down the Irish coast after becoming trapped

'I can't even imagine what would have happened if the bus had gone the Corkscrew Hill route to Doolin.

'She would have been thrown all over the place and would definitely have been hurt.'

The bus company, which runs services across the country, said that it is investigating how the woman came to be trapped.

It is unable to confirm any other details until the probe is complete.