Toddler dies in farm accident in West Cork

Boy was taken by helicopter to Cork University Hospital after being hit on head

A toddler has died in hospital after suffering serious head injuries in a farm accident at his home on the Mizen Peninsula in West Cork at the weekend.

Ben Regan was seriously injured when he was struck by a steel horsebox dividers near the family home at Derryleary between Schull and Goleen just before 2pm on Saturday.

It is understood the boy had entered a henhouse on the farm when the dividers, which was stored in the shed, fell and struck him on the head.

The boy’s parents, Roy and Debbie Regan, alerted the emergency services and it was decided to med-vac him to Cork University Hospital for treatment.

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Members of the Irish Coastguard Cliff and Coastal Rescue Unit from Goleen assisted in preparing an area of the farm for the Irish Coastguard Sikiorski Rescue 115 helicopter from Shannon to land.

Ben, who was due to celebrate his second birthday next month, is the Regans’ eldest child and they only recently celebrated the birth of their second child.

The toddler’s death is but the latest in a series of farm fatalities in Co Cork over the past two years in which children have lost their lives.

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times