A Tipperary farmer broke down at the inquest into his son’s death following a fall from a quad bike.
16 year old Patrick McKeogh suffered fatal injuries in the incident on the family farm near Ballina.
The Coroner’s Court heard that Patrick had been retrieving cattle which had broken loose from the family’s dairy farm at Inchadrinagh, Ballina early on the morning of June 28, 2021.
His father Martin told the court ‘in case you think Patrick was careless, he wasn’t; he had a helmet, he always wore it, and that was the only time he didn’t wear it.’
The inquest heard that it was likely the quad hit a bump on a gravel road separating two fields which caused the teenager to be thrown from the vehicle and onto his head.
Martin McKeogh and his son Adam discovered Patrick’s lifeless body face down on the ground halfway between a dirt track and a field. He had suffered a catastrophic brain injury in the impact and died from his injuries at University Hospital Limerick two days later.
Gardaí gave evidence that the quad was in good condition though the tyre pressures were higher than recommended which would have had an impact on the steering.
Coroner John McNamara noted that it appeared that if Patrick had been wearing a helmet, it may have “assisted” in preventing his death.
A jury at Limerick Coroner’s Court recorded a verdict of “accidental death”.
