A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a tragic farming accident in County Clare.
The fatal accident occurred when the tractor the boy was travelling in slipped off a hillside track and rolled approximately 30 metres before eventually landing on its side near a lake in Mooghna, Malbay in north County Clare.
The 14-year-old boy was discovered by emergency services when they received a report from a local about an overturned tractor close to Mooghna Lough shortly before 9am yesterday morning, Thursday 23 April.
The Farming Independent reports that Gardaí, two units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service as well as units from the National Ambulance Service sped to the scene of the accident, but the teenager was sadly pronounced dead.
Members of the Fire and Rescue Service removed the boy's body from the tractor, and a hearse arrived at approximately 11.50am to take his body to University Hospital Limerick for a post-mortem examination.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) have launched an investigation into the incident, and Gardaí are preparing a file for the coroner.
There are concerns that the fair weather, as well as schools being closed due to coronavirus measures, will result in higher child fatalities on farm.
HSA inspector Pat Griffin previously told RTÉ that "farms are by far the most dangerous places of work in Ireland that we are concerned about this year, in that we may get a spike in child deaths in 2020."
A farm safety ad regularly appearing on Irish television at the moment urges everyone working on farms to constantly be vigilant of the dangers.
