Two crane companies have pleaded guilty to health and safety failures which led to the tragic deaths of two men working on a bridge in Limerick over six years ago.
Bryan Whelan, 29, of O'Briensbridge in Co Clare and father-of-two Timothy O'Herlihy, aged 36, from Castleisland, Co Kerry, both drowned when the steel cage they were working in collapsed and fell into the river Shannon on the afternoon of 29 August 2015.
Both men were carrying out maintenance work on Thomond bridge located beside the city's King John's Castle. They were standing on a steel cage platform suspended by a crane over the river, when the cage suddenly fell down into the water, trapping the two men underneath.
A third man survived after he managed to escape and was rescued by Limerick search and rescue teams who responded to the emergency.
At Limerick Circuit Court today, Luke Carberry, on behalf of Palfinger Ireland Limited, based in Tullamore, Co Offaly, and Nationwide Crane hire director Brendan Rainsford, formerly known as Cussons Crane hire, located at Dock Road Limerick, each entered guilty pleas to breaches of the health and safety act, following an investigation by the health and safety authority into the incident.
Judge Tom O'Donnell adjourned sentencing in the matter until 27 July next when the crane involved in the incident on the day will be brought to the precincts of the court for his inspection and to hear about how it operated and what went wrong on the day which led to the tragic accident, along with any other exhibits and evidence relevant to what happened.
Members of the both the Whelan and O'Herlihy families were in court for today's hearing.
