Child killed by tractor on farm ‘felt no pain’, inquest hears

An eight-year-old girl was killed instantly after she suffered severe trauma to her spine when she was hit by the front loader of a tractor on a farm in Co Cork.

An inquest at North Cork Coroner's Court heard Paula Dinsberga would not have suffered any pain in the incident at a farm at Rusheen near Newshandrum on September 28th.

The inquest heard Paula was visiting friends at Rusheen while her parents, Raivo and Linda Dinsberga were at a wedding in their native Latvia.

Paula had been playing with her friend, Kerija Pliesnanis (11) when the front loader from the tractor collapsed on them at 6pm as it passed them.

Garda Cathal O'Regan told North Cork Coroner Dr Michael Kennedy gardaí were alerted at 6.50pm.

Local GP Dr Aidan Kelleher pronounced Paula, who lived at Huntsfield, Dooradoyle in Limerick, dead at the scene.

Her body was removed to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem examination.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she found the girl had died from blunt force trauma to the upper spinal cord due to a heavy weight falling on her. "It would have been absolutely instantaneous death. She would have felt no pain at all," Dr Bolster told the inquest in Mallow Courthouse.

Supt Pat McCarthy applied to Dr Kennedy to have the inquest adjourned because both the Garda and HSA investigations into the death are continuing.

Dr Kennedy granted the application, which was made under Section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act 1962, before adjourning the matter to allow both investigations take place.