Gardaí are investigating all circumstances after a man in his 20s was killed in a farming incident involving a tractor yesterday morning (Monday, January 2), in Gort, Co. Galway.
Following the incident, which occurred on an agricultural premises, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, before his body was removed to University Hospital Galway for a post mortem examination.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told Agriland:
“Gardaí are investigating a fatal workplace incident that occurred on an agricultural premises near Gort, Co. Galway in the morning of Monday, January 2, 2023.
“A male in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was removed to University Hospital Galway for a post mortem examination. The HSA was notified and attended the scene. Investigations are ongoing.”
Galway councillor
Speaking to Agriland, local councillor P.J. Murphy said that the man has since been named locally as Colie Kearney from the Kilbeacanty area.
“He was a young man from a very well-respected farming family in the area, they’ve been here for generations.
“It’s devastating fore them all,” he added.
Tragically, the family’s neighbour John Hansberry, who was in his 60s, also died in “a very similar accident a short number of months ago”, said Cllr. Murphy.
Farm fatalities in 2022
Recent figures have shown that the number of farm fatalities and near misses in Ireland have been rising year on year.
Most recently, a man in his 50s died following an farming accident in Bruree, Co. Limerick on December 13, when working on a roof.
After falling from the structure, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, before he was taken to University Hospital Limerick for a post mortem examination.
Speaking to Agriland in December, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with responsibility for farm safety Martin Heydon, said that there were “12 confirmed fatal incidents on farms in 2022”.
He said that although this number is down on the “average of 20 fatal incidents a year over the last 10 years”, it is still 12 too many.
The minister urged farmers and their families to focus on safety over the new year and said that a number of new farm safety awareness projects will be rolled out over the coming months.