'Save my baby, save my baby' - Hero dad's last words before going back into car to try and rescue family

A HERO footballer who rescued a four-month-old baby from the Buncrana drowning disaster has spoken of how he tried to rescue a second child.

Sean McGrotty (46), his sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels (57) and her 15-year-old daughter Jodie Lee, all died after the Audi vehicle slid off the pier.

The cardiac physiotherapist based at Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital spotted the McGrotty family car in difficulty.

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Davitt Walsh who rescued the baby from the sinking Audi at Buncrana Pier. (North West Newspix)

Davitt, from Kerrykeel, spoke of the last moments of the tragedy and how dad Sean McGrotty handed him baby Rionaghac-Ann.

Choking back tears Davitt said Sean handed him the baby through the car window shouting: “Take my child. Help my child.”

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Dad Sean (back left), mum Louise (back right) holding baby Rioghnach. Bottom left is Evan and bottom Right is Mark.

Said Davitt: “It happened so so fast. I ran down and the local man was there. I know now he was Francis Crawford and he asked me if I could swim, if I could swim to the jeep.

“I asked if there were currents and he said there was but I just stripped down to my underpants to get the best chance of going out and I went in.

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