Truck driver killed in freak accident

A TRUCK driver was killed in a freak accident at Dublin Port yesterday morning.

Truck driver killed in freak accident

Gavin Grills, 26, from Faughart, near Dundalk, Co Louth, died after being struck by a cargo container during a loading operation at about 8.20am near the North Wall. Mr Grills had driven to the port to load a container-laden trailer, which had arrived earlier yesterday morning on board the Irish Ferries roll-on, roll-off vessel, Ulysses from Holyhead.

The trailer was unloaded off the ship by Irish Ferries' personnel and left for collection in the company's container depot.

Mr Grills, who works for an independent haulage company, had arrived in Dublin Port shortly after 8am to collect the goods for distribution to a customer in the city centre. The accident happened after he had secured the trailer on to his own cab and went to the back of the vehicle to install a registration plate.

At the same time, another heavy goods vehicle driver was reversing his cab to hook up another container, which caused it to move in Mr Grills' direction.

A Dublin Port source said it seemed that the victim had been sandwiched between the moving container and the back of his own stationary vehicle. "It was a freak accident. He would not have seen the container coming towards him as he would have been facing his own vehicle at the time," he said.

The driver of the other vehicle immediately notified the emergency services. However, Mr Grills was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mater Hospital.

Store Street Gardaí, who are conducting an investigation into the accident, said a post mortem examination was due to be carried out last night.

The dead man is survived by his parents and two sisters.

Spokespersons for Irish Ferries and Dublin Port expressed sympathy to the relatives of the dead man.

The Health and Safety Authority are also expected to conduct an inquiry into the accident.

A total of 64 people died in work-related accidents last year.

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