3 yr old killed in tractor accident

[MechE1]

Hate posting bad news like this, but if it makes someone think before being unsafe, it's worth it.


http://www.effinghamdailynews.com/n...cle_ba699eaa-73a6-5a7c-b1d8-20a08b01ba48.html

 

[davesl708]

So sad. I remember riding on a tractor with my father at that age. He always kept me between his legs so I could not go anywhere.

 

[GManBart]

I see a neighbor doing this regularly with what I'm sure has to be his grandson, and it makes me shake my head every time. He's steering with one hand, and holding the kid with the other, and I keep thinking how easily it could go wrong in an instant. I totally get wanting to spend quality time, but only if it can be done in relative safety.

 

[Coyote machine]

I see a neighbor doing this regularly with what I'm sure has to be his grandson, and it makes me shake my head every time. He's steering with one hand, and holding the kid with the other, and I keep thinking how easily it could go wrong in an instant. I totally get wanting to spend quality time, but only if it can be done in relative safety.

Instead of shaking your head, why not go confront him about your concerns for the child?!:confused3:

 

[dragoneggs]

Yes, extremely sad... prayers to the family. I never have a child on my tractor or even close by when working, but I have put a little one between my legs to operate the tractor for a few minutes as a teaching moment. I think if all of your attention is on teaching the small child and you are on flat ground going low and slow it is a good thing. If you are working and they are just along for the ride... a very bad idea as your attention is not in the right place. I for one.. believe that teaching the very young about tools and the right way to use them is better than them learning on their own later so I try to take advantage of teaching opportunities. Many kids grow up not knowing how to use tools and machines are either scared of them or end up learning and hurting themselves because they had to learn on their own. I hope I didn't just ruffle the safety police.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Yes, extremely sad... prayers to the family. I never have a child on my tractor or even close by when working, but I have put a little one between my legs to operate the tractor for a few minutes as a teaching moment. I think if all of your attention is on teaching the small child and you are on flat ground going low and slow it is a good thing. If you are working and they are just along for the ride... a very bad idea as your attention is not in the right place. I for one.. believe that teaching the very young about tools and the right way to use them is better than them learning on their own later so I try to take advantage of teaching opportunities. Many kids grow up not knowing how to use tools and machines are either scared of them or end up learning and hurting themselves because they had to learn on their own. I hope I didn't just ruffle the safety police.

I agree, to many don't know what a pair of vicegrips are and if they get to the point they need to do things they are lost. We need to teach but safety in teaching is VERY important. Prayers are being sent for family and special ones for grand father. Ed

 

[flusher]

Very sad.
Reminds me of a similar accident 23 years ago when I lived in Orange County, CA. Nine year old girl was killed when she fell off a bean harvester and was run over by the equipment that her dad was operating.

 

[KennyG]

Times change and perceptions change and we have to realize that risk is a relative thing. As a small child I spent hours riding on the tool box of an Allis Chalmers, holding on to the fender and hours standing on the drawbar of a Farmall. I climbed on and crawled under everything imaginable. The only thing I can remember being stopped was my habit of jumping on running boards of moving trucks. I don't think my parents were irresponsible, it was just a different time.

I still catch myself (and I think most "seniors" do) taking unsafe approaches just because that was the way it was always done. We know a lot more today about how to be safe and that's a good thing, but I think we should understand that things were very different in the not so distant past.

 

[300UGUY]

I just don't understand it. I don't have kids, but I won't let my dogs out when I am using my tractors or lawn mowers. I do think times have changed, when I was growing up, my dad would take a whole bunch of us to the dairy queen for ice cream, in the back of a pickup. You would go to prison for that now.

Maybe the fact that we have fewer children, smaller families has a impact? When we were kids, families were a lot larger. With today's smaller families, maybe society values individuals more? Above my pay grade, but a thought I had....

 

[buickanddeere]

Happens all the time . Tell anybody however that has a kid on a machine and they will tell you an incident will never happen because they are smarter and more careful than everybody else.
The concerned person may not be appreciated either.
It must be about 5 years ago . Our neighbour backed over one of his 3yr old identical twin boys.