MOUNT FOREST — A four-year-old boy was killed after falling off a farm wagon at Mt. Forest last month.
A worker at the farm was driving a tractor, hauling a load of stones after stone picking. Three young boys were riding along in the trailer filled with stones. The four-year-old fell from the trailer into the path of the tires.
Wellington County OPP responded to the emergency call on Sideroad 5, south of Mt. Forest, at 4 p.m. on June 24. The boy was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
As of June 24, investigators were not planning to lay charges, said media relations Const. Joshua Cunningham, who declined to identify the victim at the family’s request.
The tragedy is a reminder of the ever-present dangers on family farms. “It shows the magnitude of disaster that can occur when you mix a business that uses heavy equipment, and put it in close proximity to family,” he said.
Between 1990 and 2004, there were an average of five children under age 16 killed in farm accidents in Ontario each year, according to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance program. There were at least two children killed in Ontario farm accidents last year.
