THE GARDA Ombudsman Commission has commenced an investigation into an incident in Limerick city centre yesterday in which a young boy was struck by a Garda patrol car.
The 12-year-old child was taken to hospital following the collision, which took place at 1.30pm on O’Connell Street near the junction with William Street.
The boy was crossing the road near Penney’s department store when he was hit by the patrol car in which two gardaí were travelling. The front windscreen of the car was smashed and eyewitnesses said the boy was thrown into the air before he landed on the road.
The boy’s injuries were not life threatening and he was discharged from the Mid-Western Regional Hospital yesterday evening. It is understood he suffered leg injuries.
A Garda spokesman said the patrol car was on duty but it did not have its siren going at the time and it was not responding to any emergency situation.
CCTV footage taken from the scene shows the Garda vehicle was travelling at a normal speed at the time of the collision.
A spokesman for the the Garda Ombudsman Commission said the incident was referred to them shortly after lunchtime yesterday and investigators were sent to Limerick to carry out an investigation.
The incident, he explained, was referred under Section 102 of the Garda Síochána Act.
“This states that the Garda Commissioner shall refer to ourselves any incident where the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of or serious harm to a person.”
Motorists experienced lengthy delays across Limerick city yesterday afternoon as investigations into the incident took place.
A section of the road where the boy was hit was closed for a number of hours and traffic was diverted via Denmark Street with diversions around Bank Place, Charlotte Quay and Clare Street.