It was tragic when a seven-year-old teen in Montgomery Township lost his life in an accident involving agricultural machinery on Sunday.
According to WHP-TV, Penn Live and WGAL, the phone call came in around 10:15 Monday morning. It was said that the young victim was lending a hand with agricultural duties out among the crops when he was fatally struck down by malfunctioning equipment. Emergency personnel hurried to help upon receiving word of the accident, but could not manage to resuscitate the 7-year-old.
Local firefighters from Mercersburg and Hagerstown rushed to help. On Facebook, firefighters from the Mercersburg Fire Department asked people to offer prayers to the family members and first emergency responders.
They also spoke about the challenges these calls can have for emergency personnel. "People some times don't understand the physical and mental toll that being a firefighter/EMT/Paramedic can have on someone,," they said. "We do this because we love helping our community and we love saving/protecting life and property!"
The tragic incident brought to the fore the risks associated with farming, specifically for children. Penn State reports that 33 Pennsylvanians died as a result of farm accidents this year. Most of those killed, as per the survey, were children and elderly - 13 were older than 65, and six of them were under the age of ten.
This is a clear reminder of why we must be particularly vigilant concerning the safety of farms when children are in the area. Farming experts recommend monitoring children's movements carefully and permitting them to concentrate on tasks that fit their stage of development.
The city will be mourning for a few days. They'll likely go over security procedures and give information. Everywhere, but in particular in the close-knit farming community, the death of children can be devastating.
Investigating officials reported observing no evidence to suggest wrongdoing or intentional harm caused the death. The death has been ruled accidental.