Saturday, November 21, 2009

A 14-year-old boy has been killed in an accident involving a quad bike in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The boy has been identified as Paddy McErlean, who crashed near his house in the town of Maghera.

What is believed to have happened is that Paddy was travelling on an all-terrain vehicle with a 16-year-old boy along a rural road at around 2200 GMT on Thursday when the vehicle smashed into a post, the boys were then thrown from the road. The 16-year-old boy is critically injured and as of yet has not been identified.

Ann Scott, who is the head teacher in St. Patrick’s College, which is the high school that Paddy attended, said: “This tragic accident really has brought a profound sense of loss to the school. The loss of Paddy, who was only 14, has just shocked everybody at the college. He really contributed a lot to the school, he was full of life, he was such a lovely young lad, very popular with the staff and pupils and we will really miss him so terribly.”