'No investigation' into girl's death

Published Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Comments
Toggle font size
Print

The family of a Co Tyrone girl who died after falling from a horse say they are angry that no investigation is being held into her death.

Video available to UK viewers only.
We’re sorry. This video is unavailable from your location.

To find out if this video is available to you, we need to know what region you live in. Please enter your postcode below (including space).

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for confirming your region.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are sorry but this video is not available on u.tv in your region. Your region is listed below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you in Northern Ireland?

1. Why is my postcode required?

We are asking you to insert your postcode before watching some videos to confirm you can access the video content via u.tv.

This is because some videos on u.tv are only available in Northern Ireland.

Don't worry, we won't store or use this information for any other purpose.

If you are not in Northern Ireland, the content may be available to watch at itv.com or stv.tv.

2. Why am I directed to itv.com or stv.tv when I try to view certain clips?

The videos, which are not available on u.tv to users outside Northern Ireland, will be available to those users on itv.com (for users in England and Wales) or stv.tv (for most users in Scotland).

We need to know where you are in order to make sure you are getting the right content.

If you think we've got your location wrong, then please click here.

Need more help? Contact us

Hannah Wiley, from Artigarvan, was a keen horse rider and was killed during a show jumping event at Eglinton Equestrian Club in Co Londonderry last month.

The Health and Safety Executive was set to investigate the 13-year-old's death, but then indicated that Derry City Council would head up the investigation.

Three days after Hannah died, Derry City Council said in a statement: "As a statutory Health and Safety enforcement body, DCC Environmental Health Officers are currently working with relevant organisations to determine the circumstances of this incident."

However, the Wiley family said no one seems to be actively trying to find out why Hannah died.

"We were told initially that Derry City Council was investigating it, but they have now stopped their investigation," her mother Ethna told UTV.

"To the best of our knowledge [the council's investigation] was only carried out on the Saturday and then on the Monday, it was stopped."

The Eglinton venue, which has staged high-profile events, is well-known in show jumping circles and has had a good safety record. No one from the club was available to comment.

Hannah's dad Edmund Wiley was at the club when the accident took place, and he had to phone his wife to tell her what had happened. He said the family just wants answers, which they hope could prevent other riders from being injured.

"We're not looking to blame anybody ... It's not going to bring my daughter back, but it's just to have a safe place for other riders to take part in other events," Mr Wiley explained.

"We're not apportioning blame to anyone. We just want to make it a safer place for other riders so that some good will come from our daughter's death," Hannah's mother Ethna added.

Derry City Council has said the investigation is not its responsibility, as it does not regard the Eglinton Equestrian Club as a workplace.

© UTV News
Comments Comments
2 Comments
Joey in Dublin wrote (252 days ago):
:(
Alan in garvagh wrote (253 days ago):
very sad to hear about this tragic death but i dont understand why you need to have an investigation into a horse riding accident. Show jumping is a dangerous sport and although rare these accidents do happen. Who can people want to blame for an accident seems strange
POST A COMMENT:
Name:  
Email address*:    
Location:  
Validation:
House Rules:  
Your Comment:  
[All comments are moderated and will not appear immediately. Your name, location and comment will be displayed on this page if your post passes moderation.]
MOST POPULAR GALLERIES
On the rocks
Wed 01 May 2013
4x4 in Ballycastle harbour
Thu 02 May 2013