A construction worker told how he watched a lifelong friend and colleague being swept away to his death after he fell from a barge while they were demolishing part of a bridge in Co Donegal.
Ian Smith (65), was working on the Hydro Race Bridge, in Gaoth Dobhair on January 15th, 2018, when the tragedy happened. Mr Smith was working with his colleague Tony Dowd at the time. Both men were employed by Co Fermanagh firm Dean Public Works.
At the inquest into Mr Smith’s death, held at Letterkenny Courthouse by coroner Dr Denis McCauley, Mr Dowd said both men had been on a tea break mid-morning having started work at 8am demolishing concrete and railings which were due to be replaced by new road barriers on the N56.
Neither was wearing the lifejackets supplied to them and they were not using harnesses as they placed two pontoons together to collect concrete debris on the pontoons or barge.
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There was a gap between the two platforms and as Mr Smith, who had worked for the company for 34 years, was jumping from one to another he lost his footing and fell into the water.
Mr Dowd said he heard his colleague calling to him “Tony, Tony”, but he was quickly swept away under the bridge by a strong current.
Mr Dowd, who had worked with the company for 47 years, and was operating the crane removing the old concrete, jumped up on to the bridge and flagged down a car. An Garda Síochána were called.
Garda Eugene Organ, one of the investigating gardaí who arrived on the scene, said members of Sheephaven Sub Aqua Club entered the water at 2.40pm and recovered the body of Mr Smith a few minutes later, just 100 metres from where he had fallen into the river.
Local GP Dr Anthony Delap pronounced Mr Smith’s death at 3pm and the body was removed to Letterkenny University Hospital.
Inspector Brian McHugh, from the Health and Safety Authority, outlined the safety procedures and plan which should have been followed at the site but which were not.
He said that to work safely on the project, five or six pontoons should have been used, and the two men should have been given instructions on a safety plan by their company but were not.
He said that while there were lifejackets available they were not worn and there was no “grab line” in the event that the men fell into the water.
In effect, the men had been left to their own devices with regard to safety on the site, Mr McHugh added.
Dr McCauley agreed with evidence to the effect that the death was due to drowning.
He also said a description of the death was in line with the findings of a previous case at Letterkenny Circuit Court on October 29th, 2021.
On that occasion the company pleaded guilty to Section 8(2)(e) contrary to Section 77(9)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. It was fined €40,000.
Both Dr McCauley and Gda Sgt Fergus McGrory conveyed their sympathies to members of the Smith family, who were present in court.