Farmer died after falling through skylight, inquest told

Detailed summary

A Wexford sheep farmer who suffered fatal injuries after falling through the roof of a shed last year may not have realised he stood on a Perspex skylight because its colour had…

A Wexford sheep farmer who suffered fatal injuries after falling through the roof of a shed last year may not have realised he stood on a Perspex skylight because its colour had faded, an inquest has heard.

William Bailey, 44, a married father-of-two from Coolatrindle, Kilmuckridge, Co Wexford, died on 13 March 2025 at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he had been airlifted by helicopter the previous day after the accident on his family farm.

The deceased's wife, Annette, told the inquest into her husband’s death at Dublin District Coroner’s Court that she was at home around 1pm on 12 March 2025 when she got a call from her mother-in-law to state that there had been an accident.

She was informed that William had fallen through the roof of a shed on the farm about 500 metres away.

Ms Bailey said she arrived at the scene of the accident about two minutes later to find her husband lying on the ground.

Another labourer, William Goff, was on the phone to the emergency services.

She recalled her husband was moving his head and making a noise of discomfort, while there was a large amount of blood coming from his head and ears.

As she was speaking to her husband, she said she could see a broken gap in the roof through which he had fallen.

Ms Bailey said she thought he might have landed on sheep pens that were underneath the hole in the roof because of the position he had been in.

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