Tributes flow for Dublin man who has died seven years after surviving scaffolding fall in Australia

A Dublin man who survived a 20 metre fall from scaffolding in Australia seven years ago has died.

Rathcoole-born Dave “Dodger” Conway (44) died from medical complications on October 2nd his family said.

He captured the nation’s heart with his determination to recover from his workplace accident on a construction site in Brisbane, Queensland. On the morning of July 10th, 2017 he plummeted seven stories, from scaffolding.

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Mr Conway’s, a father-of-one, family and friends had travelled from Ireland and the US to the Gold Coast, and had kept a bedside vigil for those months. A massive fundraising drive to help with his rehabilitation with hundreds of thousands of euros raised from donations.

Three months later, 82 litres of blood and 37 operations later, Mr Conway eventually emerged from his coma. He was discharged from hospital almost one year later. He lost both of his legs as a result of the accident.

His brother Stephen explained that his death “is completely devastating for our whole family. Dave fought so hard to stay alive. He knows that we all loved him so much.

“We kept Dave’s death to ourselves until now as we had to come to terms with the suddenness of losing him. After everything he had gone through following his horrific accident and in the intervening years of readjusting his life it’s so difficult to know he is gone from this world.

“Thankfully we had another seven years with him after his accident and we are so grateful for that. He truly knew how many people adored him and wished him well following his accident.”

Stephen explained that Dave's ashes have been brought back to Rathcoole to be close to his family.

In his own words, months after his horrific fall Mr Conway who is survived by his wife Vivien and Keisha, his parents and brothers.

“I somehow landed on my feet and my legs took the impact. They shattered, and then the pelvis and ribs were shattered. One rib burst through my lungs and my heart nearly gave in from the impact.

“I don’t remember the day of the accident and I don’t remember most of the three months or so in a coma afterwards,” he recalled. “Each day my wife whispered in my ear, ‘come back to us, Keisha needs you’.”

Now his family have taken part in a RecaptureOne.ie programme where videos, photographs and pictures can be downloaded through a unique personalised QR code.

His brother Stephen added: “At least by taking part in this project, although we are in the grieving process, we will keep Dave’s memory alive not only for us but for all his friends and others”.

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