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Incident · Fatality

Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed

On August 29, 2015, Bryan Whelan (29) and TJ O'Herlihy (36) drowned in the River Shannon in Limerick city while carrying out repair works on Thomond Bridge. A safety mechanism on a PALFINGER winch crane holding the men in a steel cage over the bridge side failed to operate, causing the wire rope to snap under 'unbearable stress'. The crane had been supplied by PALFINGER Ireland to Nationwide Crane Hire Ltd in 2003; the user manual was missing a chapter on the importance of frequently testing the overload protection system. In October 2022, PALFINGER Ireland Ltd was fined €25,000 and Nationwide Crane Hire Ltd was fined €200,000 after both pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Occurred 2015-08-29 · Palfinger

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Sources (1)

  1. Crane firms fined €225,000 over breaches that led to Limerick deaths of two men · https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2022/10/07/crane-firms-fined-225000-over-breaches-that-led-to-limerick-deaths-of-two-men/

Common questions

What happened in Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed?
On August 29, 2015, Bryan Whelan (29) and TJ O'Herlihy (36) drowned in the River Shannon in Limerick city while carrying out repair works on Thomond Bridge. A safety mechanism on a PALFINGER winch crane holding the men in a steel cage over the bridge side failed to operate, causing the wire rope to snap under 'unbearable stress'. The crane had been supplied by PALFINGER Ireland to Nationwide Crane Hire Ltd in 2003; the user manual was missing a chapter on the importance of frequently testing the overload protection system. In October 2022, PALFINGER Ireland Ltd was fined €25,000 and Nationwide Crane Hire Ltd was fined €200,000 after both pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on August 29, 2015 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed?
The incident is recorded as involving Palfinger on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-18

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-18

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1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed.

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Canonical ID 0da5abf3-cc10-4692-a47f-126011d9c402