A three-year-old boy was killed when he got trapped beneath a bin lorry after chasing a ball on to a road.
A court in Donegal yesterday heard the harrowing details of the last moments of the life of Patrick McDonagh.
Patrick, a twin, died when he was hit by a bin lorry at Ballymacool Wood in Letterkenny on February 16th, last year. A 61-year-old man yesterday appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court charged in connection with the child’s death.
Alex McDaid, who was driving the lorry, is charged with dangerous driving causing death and also of driving without a valid driving licence.
The boy’s father Patrick snr told how Patrick jnr and his twin sister Megan had been playing with a ball seconds before the incident.
The family’s pet dog had taken the ball and Mr McDonagh had taken it and given the tennis ball back to Patrick.
The ball then rolled down a hill from their home as Mr McDonagh roared at his son to stop.
“I ran down after him and I was roaring for the driver to stop,” he said.
“He was bending down to pick up the ball and he was hit by the step at the back of the lorry and the lorry went over him.
“It happened in seconds but it felt like minutes,” he said.
The accused, Alex McDaid, of Bomany, Letterkenny, wiped away tears as Mr McDonagh recalled the last moments of his son’s life.
The trial continues today.