Prayers were offered at a mass in Skibbereen this morning for a 17-month-old baby boy who died yesterday evening after he was struck by a car in the driveway of a house in the Tralispean area of the West Cork town.
The accident occurred shortly after 5pm yesterday. The toddler, who has yet to be named, was transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A postmortem is due to take place on Wednesday. The Coroner was notified, and an inquest will be heard in due course.
Local priest Fr Evin O'Brien said that the toddler was remembered at the parish mass this morning.
"I prayed for him at the mass and I asked parishioners to pray for him. It is devastating. I have nieces myself and the thought of it is unbearable. The family are of course in our thoughts and prayers going forward."
Meanwhile, local west Cork Fine Gael councillor Karen Coakley said that the tragedy was “impossible to comprehend”.
“It is just so, so sad. It is a devastating thing to happen,” Ms Coakley said.
“We don’t know who the family is yet but our thoughts are with them. It is just the worst nightmare.
“When you think of a little child and the age that he was. It is just the cutest little age.
Just thinking about it, you would start crying and shivering.
“When you think of the location. It is the most beautiful place. It is heaven on earth.
“For a nightmare like that to occur in such an idyllic location. It is so, so sad.”
Meanwhile, gardaí who were called to the scene provided an escort to the hospital. The incident is being treated as a tragic accident.
A file will be prepared for the Coroner’s Court. A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said that gardaí from Skibbereen and Emergency Services attended at the scene of an accident where a toddler sustained “serious injuries”.
“He was taken from the scene by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he has since been pronounced dead. The local Coroner has been notified. Enquiries are ongoing.”
