Parents donate baby’s organs after crash death

THE parents of a 10-month-old boy, who yesterday became the youngest person this year to die as a result of a crash on Irish roads, have agreed to donate his organs.

It is understood that up to five infants could benefit from baby Harvey Desmond’s death.

Harvey, from Masseytown in Macroom, Co Cork, lost his brave battle for life at Cork University Hospital (CUH) in the early hours of yesterday morning.

His 26-year-old mother, Debra, who was severely injured in the crash on Tuesday, was comforted by her parents, John and Kay, who flew back from holidays in Spain.

They were all together when the agonising decision to switch off Harvey’s life support machine was made.

Harvey suffered severe head injuries when the car Debra was driving was involved in a two car head-on collision outside Lissarda on the main Cork to Killarney road on Tuesday afternoon.

The baby was strapped into a child-seat in the rear of a Honda Civic.

Gardaí are satisfied that one car was performing an overtaking manoeuvre when it clipped the car in front, propelling it into the path of an oncoming car. But they are carrying out a separate investigation to establish the exact cause of Harvey’s injuries.

Debra was described as being in a comfortable condition in CUH last night.

It is understood she has multiple bone fractures, including two broken hips.

She was among six people injured in the horrific road smash.

There were four occupants in the other car — a mother and her three children, aged five, eight and nine — from Inchigeela.

The mother and one of her children are also in a comfortable condition in CUH.

A second child who was being treated in CUH was discharged on Wednesday, while a third child, who was being treated in the Mercy University Hospital, was discharged yesterday.

Harvey’s remains were removed from the Desmond family home in Macroom last night.

Funeral Mass will take place in Macroom Church at 2pm today with burial afterwards in St Colman’s Cemetery.

Baby Harvey’s death brings to 199 the number of people killed on Irish roads so far this year — 27 more than were killed during the same period last year.