A 54-year-old father of five was killed yesterday when a steamroller backed onto him as he was directing traffic at a roadworks site in Kerry.The accident happened at 10 a.m. on the road between Annascaul and Camp, at Lougher.
The victim had just directed a truck and stepped in behind the steamroller to allow the truck to pass when the streamroller rolled back onto him.
The man was killed instantly. "It was a pure tragic accident," said a source from Kerry County Council.
The driver of the roller is believed to be devastated by the accident.
The man was taken to Tralee General Hospital and the 12 council employees who had been working on the road were immediately "relieved of their duties" and replaced by other workers.
"They're in shock, we're all devastated," said a source. The men will not return to work until next Monday.
Originally from beyond Inch Strand near Castlemaine, the man had been an employee of the council for 10 years.
The Health and Safety Authority was notified and an inspector drove to the scene from Limerick.
A spokeswoman from the HSA confirmed it has initiated a full investigation into the accident.
The gardaí at Tralee are also investigating.