Teen died after going into river on horse

A teenage boy drowned after he went into a river on a horse only for the animal to be plunged underwater because of a sudden drop caused by erosion, Cork Coroner’s Court has heard.

Cork City Coroner Myra Cullinane plans to write to the relevant authorities about erecting hazard warnings at the Glashaboy River on the outskirts of the city following the death of Eric Stanton, 15, on February 28.

The court heard that Eric and his friend Ruben often fed horses in a field in Glanmire and the owner also allowed the teenagers to ride the horses around the field. A week before the tragedy the trio had gone down to the Glashaboy River and the horses had their legs washed near the riverbank.

Owner Seán Ryan said he warned the boys to never bring the horses down there alone as there was a “hole” in the river and it was known locally as a dangerous spot.

Eric and his friend brought the horses to the river on February 28 and eyewitnesses reported seeing them go into the river.

Florrie Crowley was among a number of men who tried to rescue Eric.

“I saw one of the young fellas run up to my friend Thomas Noonan and he said his friend was in the water,” said Mr Crowley. “It is known as a lethal part of the river. We were warned as children to stay away. I tied a rope around my waist and went in. I couldn’t feel the ground under my feet. You could feel it [the current] dragging you.

“I was up to my neck in places. In some places you were able to put your feet on the ground but others were gone from years of erosion.”

Thomas Noonan and his brother Kevin also tried to help Eric, with Thomas saying he jumped in after he was told the boy had gone under.

“It was like a whirlpool. It was deep in parts,” he said. “I heard a young lad screaming. He said his friend had fallen in. He had gone under. He was in shock.”

The emergency services were at the scene by 6.20pm just minutes after the alarm was raised. Ray Twohig of Ballyvolane Fire Station went into the river. Within minutes, the fire officer felt a body against his leg and he pulled Eric to the surface. CPR was administered at the scene by a local medic but Eric died a few hours later at Cork University Hospital. Mr Twohig said the river had a “whirlpool effect” with a sudden drop in the depth.

The court heard that Margaret Bolster carried out an autopsy on Eric at CUH. It found that he died of a pulmonary haemorrhage due to drowning. He would have lost consciousness instantly and his death would not have been painful. A verdict of misadventure was recorded in the case.

Dr Cullinane offered her condolences to the Stanton family, saying their son was “very loved and loving”. She stressed the boys would have assumed that bringing the horses in the water was safe as they naturally thought the depth was the same all along the river.

Dr Cullinane expressed concern about the absence of a lifebuoy on the riverbank. She also said she was worried about the lack of hazardous area signage and noted her intent to remedy the situation if possible.