Man killed after ‘dangerously defective’ lorry struck bridge

A 57-YEAR-OLD man was killed after a dangerously defective lorry crashed into a bridge, dislodging blocks it was carrying, which fell 20ft on top him.

An inquest heard yesterday how Peter O’Sullivan had left his home at Ballygriffin, Killavullen, Co Cork, on the night of January 12, 2006, to tend to his dogs.

He walked a short distance towards Ballygriffin bridge, which is an S-bend bridge on the main road between Fermoy and Mallow, near the Nano Nagle centre.

At around 7.15pm he was under the bridge freeing a blocked drain near a dog run when the crash occurred.

A Scania truck, owned by Executive Logistics Ltd of Killavullen, Co Cork, had crashed into a van and dislodged granite blocks on the bridge.

Some of these fell on top of Mr O’Sullivan, killing him.

The driver of the Scania, Oliver Morrissey said he’d complained about its brakes to his boss, Martin Lyons.

He told the coroner, Dr Michael Kennedy, the day before the crash he’d experienced problems with the front brakes.

The lorry was taken to Fenton’s Garage in Fermoy where repairs were made, but a short time later Mr Morrissey experienced problems with the rear brakes.

He returned to the garage where a mechanic told him they weren’t in good condition and needed renewing.

Mr Morrissey said he would take the lorry back to Killavullen to unload it and return to the garage to have it fixed.

However, the following day the lorry hadn’t turned up and Mr Fenton rang Martin Lyons. In a statement Mr Fenton said he became cross with Mr Lyons and told him “he was crazy having the lorry out on the road”.

Mr Lyons said he couldn’t spare the truck for another two days, at which point he’d bring it into the garage.

The next evening Mr Morrissey was driving the truck when the brakes failed.

PSV inspector Sergeant Pat O’Donovan said: “It was a dangerously defective vehicle.”