Bridge badly damaged in scissors lift joyride
Update:
Cork City Council has reopened Mary Elmes pedestrian and cycle bridge to the public this evening (Wednesday) following the swift completion of temporary repairs.
A major Cork city centre bridge has been damaged in the interest of public safety following a joyriding incident involving a scissors lift over the weekend.
Earlier:
Cork City Council has closed public access to Mary Elmes Bridge after several wooden decking panels on the eastern (upriver) side of the bridge were damaged in the incident.
The Mary Elmes bridge links St Patrick’s Quay to Merchant’s Quay and was installed to promote greater use of cycling and walking amongst people travelling between the city centre and MacCurtain Street.
The council said it is working hard to get the bridge re-opened as soon as possible with a view to having temporary risk mitigation measures in place and access reinstated as soon as possible. The full cost of repairs is still being assessed.
The bizarre incident saw a scissors lift being taken on a joyride through Cork city centre on Sunday night by four men.
The long arm of the law was at full extension on Sunday evening when gardaí stopped a group of men on a runaway blue scissors lift near the bottom of Barrack Street.
A local construction worker with experience using the heavy duty utility vehicles said it was likely the keys were left in the vehicle and that once started, they are remarkably easy to operate.
“It wouldn’t take a genius to get her moving anyway,” he told the Cork Independent.
“Odds are high they (the keys) were left in.
“Some machines like Manitou have a master key that operates all their machines, so maybe they got it moving that way,” he added.
Two videos of the incident emerged on social media shortly after it happened. The first showed the vehicle being driven past the GPO on Oliver Plunkett Street with four men on board. Despite its reported ease of use, the man driving it managed to slam it into a low concrete bollard before continuing down the street towards the Grand Parade.
The second video shows the vehicle stopped on the South Gate Bridge near the bottom of Barrack Street with two garda vehicles blocking its path and two gardaí on board with one of the men.
The videos have amassed thousands of views online, with one person commenting: “The most surprising thing about this situation is the fact that they got from the Oliver Plunkett all the way to Barrack St.”
Another quipped: “Can't help myself but... looks like that was around the corner from... Crane Lane?”
Gardaí confirmed that two of the four men, aged in their 20s, have since been charged in relation to the incident and have appeared before Cork District Court.Investigations are ongoing.