6-year boy killed in chipper accident

Definitely a more informative article, this quote makes a huge difference in understanding what happened:

"The young child attempted to assist his father. When the father's back was turned, he picked a branch trying to feed it into the chipper when in fact he was pulled into the chipper"

I'm pretty sure this means that the father made a big mistake allowing his child to be walking around in the work zone but... he wasn't actually putting the kid to work feeding branches into the chipper. The kid did what every little kid does, imitate what his father was doing, unfortunately he was facing the other way when the kid tried to help out.

That's the way I read it anyway. The father is still very responsible but it's not what you'd think from reading the original article posted.
-AJ
 
No Father or Mother should have to bury their own child. I don't think that I could continue in tree work if something like that happened to me. Such a sad day.
 
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Definitely a more informative article, this quote makes a huge difference in understanding what happened:

"The young child attempted to assist his father. When the father's back was turned, he picked a branch trying to feed it into the chipper when in fact he was pulled into the chipper"

I'm pretty sure this means that the father made a big mistake allowing his child to be walking around in the work zone but... he wasn't actually putting the kid to work feeding branches into the chipper. The kid did what every little kid does, imitate what his father was doing, unfortunately he was facing the other way when the kid tried to help out.

That's the way I read it anyway. The father is still very responsible but it's not what you'd think from reading the original article posted.
-AJ

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It is nice to want to think it is more innocent, but i don't really buy it.

That prepared line came from the police and can still be read to mean exactly that the kid was working and only means that the father wasn't supervising that particular branch be fed.

Sorry but i'm weary of media in cases like this. The first article made out they were landscapers doing a bit of tree and shrub work. Playing it down in terms of how directly involved in tree work they may be. Now it turns out they are a fully fledged tree service.

Only the family really know the truth at this point....and they have to live, or try to, with that. How... i don't know.
 
I have to say that, although I'm sure the father is consumed with grief, I feel very strongly that not pressing charges, when a crime like has been committed, continues to further the mind-set "Oh well, it was a domestic thing, they've suffered enough." This simply paves the way for the next horrible preventable death to be soft-pedalled as well.

The man is negligent and liable for the death of another person, additionally a child, and in particular one whose safety was directly entrusted to him.

If people start doing time for harebrained things like this, I think we'll find fewer incidences of this particular flavor of tragedy.
 
This dude was not working at his own home. He was conducting business at someone's house with three minors on his job site.

I can't count the number of times I've stopped all work on a residential job site until that resident assured me they would keep their kids and or themselves inside the house until that day's work was completed.

Enough adults get killed in sometimes horrible fashions in this biz on a regular basis to start letting minors into the mix, period, in my opinion.

This is not the first time a minor has gone through a chipper, but hopefully it will be the last.

The officials should throw the book at this dude or it's just going to happen again. Heck there are supposed "professionals" right here on this website who promote letting children run chainsaws and chippers for goodness sakes!

Unbelievable!

Jomoco
 
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It is nice to want to think it is more innocent, but i don't really buy it

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Just going on probability and general faith in humanity I'm guessing the less scary version. You're right though, only the father knows for sure.
-AJ
 
Unless I'm sorely mistaken the chipper involved in this fatality is a chuck n duck. Looked like an old Vermeer to me.

How a six year old first grader was allowed anywhere near that running chipper speaks volumes about just how negligent this father/tree service owner was in this tragedy in my opinion.

Jomoco
 
Jomoco I think the photo in the first article was just a random truck & chipper pulled from the web for the news. Later articles include video news footage showing the scene and a late model chipper truck and pretty well current model vermeer 1500 i think both tarped over the chip box on the truck, indeed & chute of the chipper being hauled away on what look like coroners plain black tilt tray trucks.

Thats why i think the first article played down the event making out they were landscapers but this is a professional tree service set up.

Having a 4 & 2 yo myself i can only imagine how this guy feels now and forever.
 
Thanks for the update guys.

Believe it or not, I'd have been happier had it been an old high speed feed chuck n duck because it would have been over in a second, rather than the much slower horror of a hydraulically fed modern chipper.

I've seen very gruesome accident scene photos of whole tree chipper fatalities, and it's something I never want to see again.

THough I suspect there are a few posters on on this forum that should see them to help them come to their senses , unfortunately.

My thoughts prayers and condolences to all this child's family and friends.

Jomoco
 
Me I keep getting images of this kid's last moments and they are not pretty. I am amazed at the others who think it's ok for a minor to operate such dangerous equipment. As I said before I grew up as a " toughened dude " and worked along side my dad and my friend's dads but heavy machinery was not in the mix. There are lots of things that youngsters can do work wise without getting involved with equipment that can maim and kill. I am adamant that minors should be protected from such dangerous things, it's bad enough losing so many teenagers to car wrecks every year.
 
In January 1992 18 year old John Thompson was working on the PTO shaft of a tractor. Something happened and both of his arms were torn off. They were reattached at the hospital where I went when I was in Minneaplis, North Memorial Medical Center. I lived almost within the shadow of the heliport.

Here's an 18 year old North Dakota farm boy who probably started doing chores months after he could walk and probably drove a tractor when he was 7. He still had a terrible accident. He was lucky though...he lived. If I remember right the guards on the PTO coupler weren't in place or something along that line.

Today chippers don't have what is called a 'dead-man's switch' mandated. After this terrible accident I'm predicting that the push for more interlock controls on chippers will get stronger.

Why do all safety regulations have to be named after someone dieing? Do you want one named after you?
 
After reading this article, we had a tail gate meeting outside the book. We spoke of this horrible accident and how a life was taken in a moment. We did the review on all the dangers of chipping and tried to imagine the terror of going in. The conversation was graphic, in regards to what might happen. When we were done, we all stood looking into the hopper with blank stares.
Regardless if you have children or not, a little boy was lost trying to do what we do everyday. I am willing to bet he was as proud as he could be working with his Dad and older sibblings. The reality is, a little boy was lost before he really knew what it was like to live. The whole world he had in front of him was taken in a moment.
People always take advice when they have something in writting. Maybe if we are really concerned about this ever happening again, we can print this article and hand it out if we see this going on.
RIP to our young brother. I will pray the family will find peace someday.
 
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RIP to our young brother. I will pray the family will find peace someday.

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Amen to that.

This thread is still hitting me really hard, and I know that it will for a very long time.
 
On my way into work this morning I heard something on one of the radio stations about making donations for the family. My question on that is simply... why? The kid is gone, the father who is responsible for the accident can still work... that is of course unless criminal charges are filed, but I doubt that will be the case.

I'm not a parent, but when if I see young childred anywhere near my jobsite I go into lock-down mode until I know that they are under direct supervision of a parent or other adult and will be kept out of the area. I can't even fathom the logic that would tell a parent to bring their own child into such a situation.

Now on the legal end of this, I sure hope that there are no lawsuits from this, as there is really only 1 person to blame, and we all know that it is not Vermeer.
 
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On my way into work this morning I heard something on one of the radio stations about making donations for the family. My question on that is simply... why? The kid is gone, the father who is responsible for the accident can still work... that is of course unless criminal charges are filed, but I doubt that will be the case.

I'm not a parent, but when if I see young childred anywhere near my jobsite I go into lock-down mode until I know that they are under direct supervision of a parent or other adult and will be kept out of the area. I can't even fathom the logic that would tell a parent to bring their own child into such a situation.

Now on the legal end of this, I sure hope that there are no lawsuits from this, as there is really only 1 person to blame, and we all know that it is not Vermeer.

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With all do respect, I can understand how you have these questions. I feel as if any donations to the family will likely be graciously accepted by the family. Funeral costs can run upwards of $7,000, I can't imagine the owner continues to work - as much time must be needed for the indescribable grieving process of him and his family. Of course we all know the bills do not pay themselves, and with no money coming in I could understand how donations can be helpful to the family when they must be struggling to see any light. I'm sure the community will step in to help in any way they can - I say this because there was a similar, recent incident in my community, and we all continue to support the family in anyway we can.
 
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