HSA investigating after boy (14) dies in Carlow farm accident

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident on a farm in Co Carlow on Wednesday in which a boy (14) died, a spokesman said.

The boy, named locally as Donal English Hayden, and his brother (15) were were helping a neighbouring farmer in a sugar beet field when the incident happened near Ballon at about 10.30am.

Donal is understood to have been pinned under a trailer. He was rushed with his brother to St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny, where he died later. He was due to return to secondary school on Thursday.

His brother was injured and being treated in hospital.

Local parish priest Fr Brendan Howard said on Wednesday night Donal was "a very talented young man" who came from a very respectable family who were involved in the GAA, athletics and "everything like that".

"He had a great future ahead of him... as far as I recall he got a gold medal last year in the Community Games, " he said.

Fr Howard said the owners of the farm on which the fatal incident occurred were very health and safety conscious, but the farmer hit a dyke and his trailer overturned. “It was a freak accident.”

He said his heart went out to the dead boy’s family, who brought up their children in the best way. “You couldn’t get a more respectable family.”

The boy's father Matthew ran in the last local elections in the South Carlow area. His mother Noeleen (née English), is a nurse in the Sacred Heart Hospital, Carlow. The couple had seven children.

Inspectors from the HSA visited the scene.