Gardaí quiz park scrambler boy (16) as man remains critical

A 38-YEAR-OLD man was last night continuing to fight for his life after a scrambler motorbike landed on his head in a Dublin park at the weekend.

The victim and his partner (43) were sunbathing in Darndale, Coolock, when the serious incident happened.

Gardaí believe that the scrambler drove over the brow of a hill and landed on the man’s head. Emergency services were alerted to the scene shortly after 2pm on Saturday, and the injured man was rushed to Beaumont Hospital.

Last night he remained in a critical condition with serious head injuries.

As part of the investigation, gardaí have interviewed a 16-year-old boy who was driving the scrambler.

The youth was not arrested by gardaí, but has been helping officers with their inquiries into the incident.

Yesterday, a Garda spokesman said that investigators were continuing to appeal for anybody who witnessed the incident, or had any information, to contact Coolock garda station.

Cllr Cian O’Callaghan, a Social Democrats representative for Howth-Malahide, said the incident highlights how the use of scramblers and quads has reached epidemic levels.

“The misuse of quad bikes and scramblers has been allowed to reach epidemic proportions in many communities, including in parts of my own constituency.

“Teenagers are driving these vehicles without any tax, insurance or driver’s licences. It’s also not unusual to see children as young as seven or eight racing around housing estates and in public open spaces and parks, posing a huge danger to themselves as well as pedestrians and road users,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

The local councillor added that parents who allow their children to misuse scramblers should be fined.

“We also need to see legis- lation to allow gardaí to seize vehicles where they are being driven by children, and also to introduce fines for parents who allow their children to misuse quads and scramblers.

“This problem has been passed around various agencies and authorities, and communities are increasingly frustrated that they are not seeing the urgent response needed on the ground,” Mr O’Callaghan said.