A devastated father recalled the moment his world fell apart in a Cork coroners inquest yesterday.
Conor Cashman was visibly distressed as he explained how 18-month-old Fionn, the youngest of his four children, managed to wander behind a tractor he was using to move hay bales on the family farm.
The infant suffered fatal head injuries and died before he reached the hospital on May 8, 2014.
“Fionn must have been behind the left wheel of the tractor. I never saw him.” said the respected vet.
“I saw Fionn lying on the ground motionless,” he continued.
“I had felt nothing on the tractor… no bump, no impact.”
A verdict of accidental death was returned.
Thirty people died in farming accidents in 2014, the highest number in 23 years. Five of those killed were children.
