Two men died in Limerick on Saturday when the cage holding over Thomond Bridge fell into the Shannon. A third man who survived tells his story to the Limerick Post.
by Andrew Carey
“EVERYONE is struggling but its harder living with it because the boys fought for their lives. They just couldn’t get out.”
Those words from Paul Murphy, the only survivor from the accident that claimed the lives of two of his workmates, summarised the horror of last Saturday afternoon’s tragic events at Thomond Bridge.
Speaking to the Limerick Post after the funeral of Bryan Whelan (29) and ahead of the funeral of TJ Herlihy (36), the Wexford man who has been living near Askeaton for the past 14 years said that last Saturday started out no different to any other work day.
“It was a normal day for me, but it was TJ’s first day and here was this big strong man coming over to me at the start of the day. Nice guy and fine lad.
“We chatted for a bit, got on well and then we got the harnesses on and our life jackets and we were abseiling up and down working away as normal until around 3pm when we stopped for tea.”
Mr Murphy, a father of one who is expecting his second child in November, said: “there was four of us in the cage but one of the lads didn’t come back down after the break as he was doing a few jobs up on the road. We were just brushing and cleaning the walls. 4:30 was our cut-off point to have the road reopened.
“We were all talking and TJ was telling me about his previous work and his children and partner who would be coming to Ireland to join him soon. He spoke well and highly of his family.
“Bryan, who I knew for a good while, was telling me about being out the night before and having stayed in his parents house on the Friday night. Both lads were in good spirits and talking about their families.”
Recalling the tragic moment it all went wrong, he said he first heard a big bang.
“I knew what was happening and we went down so I took a big breath. It was like being on a roller-coaster that only took a fraction of a second.
“My mouth was full of water then and my lifejacket inflated lifting me up to the surface, but the harness was pulling me back.
“I knew there was only one chance to get the rope and unclip myself. I couldn’t see anything as it was just pitch black, but I found the clip and unhooked it.
He said that in those split seconds he thought he would never see his unborn baby.
“I can’t swim and as the life jacket threw me to the surface, I hit me head on the cage bar as I popped up about two meters down river. The lads on the bridge shouted instructions at me to lie back and stay calm.
“I couldn’t see the other lifejackets and I new then that the boys were caught.
“There were people running along the shore and they threw a lifebuoy but it was too far away and the current was just bringing me down. My brother-in-law threw one too. He was on the job doing a trial to see if he would be kept on – he was looking after the stop and go traffic system.
The next thing I remember was being pulled from the water by the Limerick Marine Search and Rescue.
“I have to thank them and all the rescue lads. They were frantically trying to cut the harnesses on the other boys and, when we got to the shore, they were doing CPR.
“They tried everything but it was too late – I knew they were gone.
“There were some people there recording with phones which wasn’t nice and I know the rescue lads had words with some telling them not to record.
Mr Murphy said that he was taken to hospital after being initially assessed by paramedics, revealing that he had to thank all who helped him and in particular the ambulance driver “because he gave me his phone so I could call my wife and let her know that I was okay.”
After he was released from hospital, he returned to the bridge to meet the rest of his work crew who were all very upset.
“I’ve worked over rivers and on cranes for years and nothing like this has every happened.
“In a split second the lads were there and then gone. The wire cable just snapped and that was it.”
