A Co Sligo waste collector died after suffering a severe brain injury as a result of a fall from the back of a “defective” bin lorry, an inquest has heard. Daniel Meehan (51), of Mountain View, Tubbercurry, died in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on December 12th, 2018, a day after the incident at a housing estate in Ballymore, Co Sligo.An inspector of the Health and Safety Authority, which investigated the death, told Dublin District Coroner’s Court the bin truck was defective at the time of the accident.Inspector Trevor Ryan-Nesbitt said there was no safety barrier next to the footboard, which was “warped”. Sensors and wiring that were supposed to detect when someone was standing on the board had been “deliberately manipulated”, he said. When working correctly, these safety features should prevent the vehicle from travelling at more than 30 km/h or reversing when someone is on the footboard, he said.Daniel Meehan (51) from Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, died after a fall from a bin lorry There was no evidence to suggest the truck was moving at more than 30 km/h at the time of Meehan’s fall, which occurred shortly after the vehicle rounded a bend and went over a ramp, Ryan-Nesbitt said. The centrifugal force of the turn would not have been enough to throw Meehan off the back plate, but could have shifted his centre of gravity immediately before the vehicle went over a ramp, he said.A jury of nine found the death was a result of a severe brain injury following a workplace accident. They recommended there should be regular inspections of bin lorries to ensure safety bars are intact. In early 2024 the waste disposal company, McGrath Industrial Waste Ltd, based at Moneenbradagh, Co Mayo, was fined after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to discharge its duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. The charges, which arose out of Meehan’s death, related to four defects to the lorry, including in relation to the footboard sensors.The driver of the truck, Aidan O’Gara, told the coroner’s court on Wednesday how he and Meehan had worked together “side by side” throughout that year. He thought something was wrong during the December 11th shift when Meehan did not alight the vehicle to pick up more bins in Castleburn housing estate. The inquest heard a woman who had witnessed Meehan’s fall told O’Gara he was lying on the road. O’Gara said Meehan was unresponsive, but every so often opened his eyes.Meehan was taken to Sligo General Hospital where a brain scan reported multiple skull fractures and an acute brain bleed. He was transferred to Beaumont’s intensive care unit, where doctors monitored the pressure in his brain, but felt his condition was not suitable for surgical intervention. He died on the evening of December 12th.A postmortem report noted he went unconscious immediately after the fall. It said he suffered multiple skull fractures and brain bleeding and swelling.