A WOMAN tried to resuscitate her gravely injured husband after the truck on which he was working collapsed and crushed him at his home in Co Tipperary on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas O’Sullivan (45), a father of four, died in the helicopter that was transporting him on the eight-minute journey to hospital in Limerick despite the best efforts of his wife, Mairead, a nurse at Nenagh General Hospital, and HSE paramedics.
The incident occurred at about 12.30pm at the O’Sullivans’ home at Coolbaun near Borrisokane, about 17km from Nenagh. A popular local businessman, Mr O’Sullivan was working beneath the vehicle when it apparently became unstable and collapsed, trapping him. It is thought that the jacks he was using to support the truck failed.
Three units of the fire service from Borrisokane and Nenagh went to the scene while an ambulance from Nenagh and a paramedic trained in advanced life support were also despatched. At the scene, they found the victim’s wife administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on her husband. The man was so seriously injured, it was decided he should be airlifted to hospital as soon as possible.
The Irish Coast Guard was requested to provide a helicopter to transfer the injured man to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.