Family of former Limerick rugby great settle court action over his death

Ann O'Loughlin

The family of a former rugby great and Young Munster All-Ireland League-winning second-row, Peter Meehan, who died 11 days after a workplace accident, has settled a High Court action over his death.

Father of two, Peter Meehan, was only 60 years of age when he died in October 2020, 11 days after he fractured his ankle as he helped unload a ship at Limerick docks.

The Meehan’s family counsel, David Kennedy, told the High Court that Meehan died from a pulmonary thromboembolism, which is a blockage of the lung artery caused by a blood clot. Counsel said it is a known risk after such a crush injury and led to Meehan's untimely death.

Counsel said Meehan, who was a general operative with the Shannon Foynes Port Company, was on September 29th, 2020, unloading at the Wilson Dieppe ship when the cargo shifted.

He said Meehan’s left ankle became trapped between a stack of steel rebar and the ship wall , fracturing his ankle.

Counsel said eleven days later Meehan died on October 10th, 2020.

The details of the settlement are confidential and the case was before the court for the division of the €35,000 mental distress solatium payment only.

Meehan’s wife, Valerie of Ballinacurra, Limerick had sued Meehan’s employer Shannon Foynes Port Company with registered offices at Foynes, Co Limerick, and two German companies the owners and operators of the ship where the accident occurred over the death of her husband.

They are Ms Wes Melas Schiffahrts GMBH & Co KG and Wessels Reederei GMBH & Co KG, both of Haren, Germany.

In the proceedings it was claimed there was a failure to provide or maintains a safe workplace or to provide or maintain a safe system of work or safe hold in the ship.

It was further claimed there was a failure to ensure that the cargo was properly secured and a failure to provide a safe working platform for Meehan within the hold of the ship.

A steel rebar it was claimed had been caused to be placed on top of coiled steel rendering the steel rebar unstable.

There was, it was contended a failure to ensure that the cargo in the ship was stable and secure prior to and at all times during unloading at Limerick docks.

The cargo on the ship it was claimed was caused to shift during its voyage to Limerick Docks and there was a failure to carry out any or any adequate inspection of the cargo prior to the unloading.

Liability was admitted in the case.

Noting the settlement and the division of the solatium, Justice Paul Coffey extended his deepest sympathy to the Meehan family

Meehan was a key figure in Munsters' history-making All-Ireland League winning side of 1993.

The talismanic second-row was a great stalwart and very popular figure with the Clifford Park club who he also captained to win the Munster Senior Cup in 1990.