THE DRIVER of a cruise boat had a lucky escape when his vessel smashed into a bridge in Co Tipperary, forcing him to dive for cover.
The man was standing at the controls at the upper console of the cruiser and attempting to moor the vessel close to the bridge at Ballina on the Shannon when he lost control. The boat smashed into one of the bridge arches causing extensive damage to the boat’s upper-level console.
Rescuers believe that only for the man’s quick actions and the water level at the time, he would have been seriously injured.
There were six people on board the hired cruiser, all men in their mid-30s. The other five were on the lower level or below deck at the time of the incident. No one was injured.
The incident occurred on Friday but details only emerged at the weekend. It took place when the skipper got into difficulty while turning the vessel to moor it. As the cruiser veered out of control towards the bridge, the skipper jumped to safety and was uninjured.
The incident was witnessed by a member of the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard, who raised the alarm. Rescuers went to the scene and discovered that the cruiser had been extensively damaged.
It was towed to safety at the slipway at Ballina.
The hire company was notified of the incident.