Aoife Beary, who advocated for better building code violation transparency after the incident, died on New Years’ Day from a stroke in connection to the injuries she sustained in 2015.
Aoife Beary, one of the survivors of the 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse, has died from injuries six years after the incident, according to her death note.
Beary and a group of exchange students from Ireland were visiting the University of California, Berkeley, and were injured during the then 21-year-old’s birthday party, according to The New York Times.
The balcony to an apartment complex near the campus that the group was on collapsed, and the group was thrown to the sidewalk 40 feet below the building on June 16, 2015, the Times reported.
Six students died in the incident and seven others were severely injured, including Beary.
The young woman’s injuries lead to trauma to her brain and heart, and she ultimately died in her sleep on New Years’ after suffering a stroke, according to The Irish Times.
In addition to advocating for transparency around building code violations, the young woman graduated from the University of Dublin in Pharmacology, and the school issued a statement in response to her passing.
"Aoife dealt with the devastating impact of her accident with great bravery and fortitude. She was awarded a BSc in Pharmacology in 2016. She will be greatly missed by her family and wide circle of friends," Professor Joe Carthy, dean of science, said in the statement.
"I know Aoife's passing will rekindle memories of the six students who died in the Berkeley accident in June 2015 and our thoughts are with their families, too," Carthy continued.
