{"id":"0da5abf3-cc10-4692-a47f-126011d9c402","slug":"palfinger-limerick-drownings-2015","kind":"fatality","headline":"Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed","summary":"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.","occurredAt":"2015-08-29T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":null,"deploymentId":null,"companyId":"f8c4de48-c773-4e93-999e-b92a418eca26","aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"critical","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"fine","regulatoryBody":"HSA Ireland","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-18T11:57:53.209Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-18T11:57:53.209Z","model":null,"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"f8c4de48-c773-4e93-999e-b92a418eca26","name":"Palfinger","slug":"palfinger","description":"Austrian crane and lifting solutions manufacturer developing remote-controlled, automated and robotic lifting systems for construction, marine, and industrial applications. Listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1999, PALFINGER reported EUR 2.34 billion revenue in 2025 with ~12,000 employees across 30 manufacturing sites. In 2026, PALFINGER announced a strategic technology collaboration with [ICON](https://www.iconbuild.com) to develop the Titan large-size robotic 3D printing system for heavy industry and construction, extending its expertise into large-format robotics and digital manufacturing.","status":"active","founded":1932,"hq":"Bergheim, Salzburg, Austria","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"mature","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.palfinger.com/","title":"Palfinger","date_accessed":"2026-06-07"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"CEO","value":"Andreas Klauser (since June 2018)"},{"label":"Founder","value":"Richard Palfinger (1932)"},{"label":"Stock","value":"Vienna Stock Exchange (PAL.VI), listed since 1999"},{"label":"Revenue","value":"EUR 2.34 billion (2025)"},{"label":"Employees","value":"~12,000"},{"label":"EBIT","value":"EUR 174.3 million (2025), 7.5% margin"},{"label":"Manufacturing sites","value":"30 international"},{"label":"Financial stage","value":"Mature — publicly traded, revenue-generating"},{"label":"Strategy 2030+","value":"Target: EUR 3B revenue, 12% EBIT margin, 15% ROCE"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-08T04:57:17.680Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-18T11:57:29.930Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"869e5e36-f2c9-4209-95df-92d4490bd82e","incidentId":"0da5abf3-cc10-4692-a47f-126011d9c402","url":"https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2022/10/07/crane-firms-fined-225000-over-breaches-that-led-to-limerick-deaths-of-two-men/","label":"Crane firms fined €225,000 over breaches that led to Limerick deaths of two men","publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Crane firms fined €225,000 over breaches that led to Limerick deaths of two men","sourceName":null,"mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-18T11:57:53.971Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-18T11:57:53.971Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/palfinger-limerick-drownings-2015","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/palfinger-limerick-drownings-2015","headline":"Two stonemasons drowned in Limerick when PALFINGER crane's overload protection system failed","description":"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.","identifier":"0da5abf3-cc10-4692-a47f-126011d9c402","datePublished":"2015-08-29T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"fatality","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":1,"primary_source_types":[]}}}