MAN (31) KILLED BY FALLING BRANCH
A 31-year-old man died after a branch of a tree fell and hit him on the head in Drumbaun, Curry, in April of this year.
An inquest into the tragic death of Gerard Patrick Greene, of Dunmore, Co. Galway heard that he was involved in tree cutting, and on the day of the accident he was sent to Curry with two colleagues.
The three men started cutting the branches of the tree before taking a tea break.
One man returned to continue cutting while the deceased and another colleague continued chatting, the inquest heard.
Mr. Greene walked towards the tree which was being cut, and as he did so a branch started falling.
A statement from his colleague said that he shouted at Mr. Greene to watch out, but he had taken two further steps and the large branch fell and hit him on the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Garda Trevor McNicholas, who attended he scene on the day, told the inquest that there were no signs of life when he arrived at the scene.
He added: “There was quite an obvious wound on the top of Mr. Greene’s head, and there were a few branches on the ground.”
Sean Regan, joint owner of S&S Tree Services, the company for which Mr. Greene was working at the time, told the inquest that he was close friends with the deceased.
He added: “When I got the call I headed to the scene. I spoke to the two lads who were there and they were in shock.
“They were all fully trained,” he added. “Gerard walked into what we would refer to as the ‘danger zone’ just as the branch was dropping,” he said.
The deceased was wearing a hard hat at the time of the accident, the inquest heard.
Coroner Eamon McGowan said: “This is a sad case. It’s an accident at work and Gerard suffered fatal consequences. To Gerard’s work colleagues and family, I offer you my sympathies. It’s one of those sad things. All you can take from my is sympathy.”
The inquest found that Mr. Greene died due to head and spinal injuries.
Members of the jury, Dr. Clive Kilgallen and Sergeant Philip Maree extended their sympathies to the family.