When things go wrong, we count on luck to miraculously appear. But what happens when it fails to show up?

That’s what I think about when it comes to the near-misses on our farm at home in Co Kerry. Indeed, though my father is generally a careful and sensible man he has experienced a decent amount of mishaps. Good fortune has saved his life on numerous occasions, when it could have easily gone the other way.

I remember when a bull, who dad reckoned was as quiet as a lamb, once tried to attack him in the yard. He escaped by locking himself into a shed, but the bull started charging at the door.

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He had just purchased his first mobile phone, and remembered to take it with him to the farm. Two neighbours were called and promptly came over to help. A few years later, a wild Limousin cow crushed him against a door jam. Again, luck intervened and dad was left with a few bruised ribs instead of serious internal injuries.

I shudder when thinking about what we got up to as children. On one occasion, my sister fell off a stack of bales atop a trailer. She was just about clinging on, when my uncle, who thankfully spotted what happened, shouted at my father to stop the tractor. Rachel climbed down, shaken but unscathed. Many other children have not been as fortunate.

The one farm accident that has always stayed with me didn’t happen to my family. It was in the summer of 2008, when my teacher’s four-year-old son died after falling from a tractor.

I’ll always remember the shock I felt upon hearing the news and how his death profoundly affected the community. He was the eldest and it was clear she was completely besotted – not one class went by without mention of his name. I believe he was just about to start primary school.

We tend to reduce farm deaths to a mere number, but every fatality is a tragedy with massive implications. There are children left without parents, bills that cannot be paid, school uniforms never to be worn.

Relying on luck is never a good idea when it comes to farm safety – the stakes are far too high.

Farm safety week

Farm Safety Week runs from 4 July to 8 July and the Irish Farmers Journal will have daily coverage as well as in this week's print edition.

Share your stories

Farm Safety Week 2016 takes place from 4-8 July. Do you have a personal experience to share? Email webdesk@farmersjournal.ie and we will publish a selection of these online.