On the 1st of May 1997, when Kerrie Leonard was six years old, her life changed in the blink of an eye and She has taken the opportunity to be involved in Farm Safety Week, which runs from the 16th to the 20th of July, to highlight the importance of child safety on the farm and in life too.

While riding on the hub cap of the wheel, inside the cab of a tractor, something Kerrie had done hundreds of times, she lost her grip and fell out of the tractor.  The wheel of the tractor crushed her, and left Kerrie paralysed.

Kerrie came to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dún Laoghaire for rehabilitation after her accident.  She spent 8 weeks in the NRH learning new life skills.

She said: “You can quite easily take it for granted that what you’ve done a hundred times will work out….  It’s to think about that one time that something might go wrong – what happens then?  You need to be observant as possible to make sure your child is safe on the farm.”

This video was released this week by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to raise awareness of child safety during National Farm Safety Week 2018, which runs throughout this week.  Here’s Kerrie’s story…