Corkman gets fatal shock after climbing pylon

THE ESB has been urged to improve safety in relation to pylons following the death of a 20-year-old man who was electrocuted after he received a shock from a pylon on the southside of Cork city.

Gardaí from Douglas and two units of Cork City Fire Brigade were called to the scene shortly after 11pm on Friday after the young man climbed a high-voltage electricity pylon near his home at Greenhills Court, off the South Douglas Road.

The death of Donncadha O’Flynn is being treated as accidental. His remains were taken to Cork University Hospital for a post mortem examination and the scene was sealed off by gardaí for technical examination.

Local Fine Gael councillor Jim Corr described the death as a dreadful tragedy, claiming the ESB needs to urgently review its policy about the positioning of pylons. He said it was time for the ESB to explore its options regarding using alternatives to pylons.

“This is a young life that has been lost. It is a huge loss and it is too late in the day for excuses from the ESB. These pylons run across a play area for children and they are close to a landfill. We have asked on a number of occasions about other options but they have quoted extraordinary figures,” he said.

A spokesman for the ESB was not available for comment yesterday but ESB officials have warned of the danger of climbing pylons. They carry hundreds of thousands of volts and getting near the wires causes a risk of a fatal shock, while there is also a danger of falling.

Meanwhile, a 22-year-old man killed in a car crash near Ballyvourney, Co Cork, on Saturday morning has been named as Dabhóg Kierse from Cloughduv, Co Cork. A number of other people were hospitalised after the three-car collision on the N22 Cork-Killarney road.

A 29-year-old man injured in a crash in Limerick city on Friday died in hospital on Saturday. He was Nigel Bucke from Dromcollogher.