A Wexford boy who would have celebrated his 15th birthday this week has died after falling through a factory roof.
Robert Lynch, of The Faythe in Wexford town, died in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on Sunday evening surrounded by his family after being taken off a life-support machine.
He fell 30 feet through the roof of the derelict Wexford Electronix plant in the town last Thursday evening, suffering brain injuries and damage to his spine. The plant closed before Christmas with the loss of 350 jobs and had suffered fire damage last Saturday week.
A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Authority said yesterday it was investigating the accident.
Robert's parents, Christy and Jane Lynch, have donated their son's organs, which they hope will save other children's lives.
Following his fall, Robert was removed to Wexford General Hospital and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital, but he did not regain consciousness The tragedy is the second to have struck the Lynch family. About 10 years ago, Robert's sister, Kelly, who was aged five at the time, died after her dress caught fire at the family home.
Gardaí said young boys congregate in the area where the fatal accident occurred, and it was a tragedy for Robert and his family. It was an afternoon's play which went horribly wrong, said a Garda spokesman.
Robert's older brother, Walter, is well known in the horse industry both in England and France where he works as a trainer, and he also has two sisters, Martina and Jane, and a young brother, Mark.