Boy died before birthday party
The mother of a young boy killed on a farm was prepping for his birthday party at the time of the accident.
‘‘Alex was a loving little guy with a cheerful nature and a cheeky smile. He loved his family and friends and being outdoors. Words cannot express the heartbreak that we are feeling right now and we ask for privacy as we grieve for Alex,’’ the family said in a statement yesterday.
Emergency services were called to the family farm on Inland Kaiko¯ura Rd, near Kaiko¯ura, at 6pm on Friday.
It’s understood 9-year-old Alex Mackle was killed while his father, farmer Simon Mackle, moved some cattle through a gate. Mackle’s mother was making preparations for Alex’s birthday party at the time.
It’s believed that while Simon Mackle was at the gate his car started rolling backwards. The boy is understood to have fallen from the vehicle as he tried to escape and was run over.
Mackle then carried his son out to the road to get help as there was no cell coverage at the scene.
A family spokesman said the incident was a ‘‘tragic farm accident’’. He declined to comment further on what happened. ‘‘The family have had a devastating loss.
‘‘It’s hard to put into words, it’s more than a shock. It’s a devastating loss for everyone, the whole community, not only the family.’’
St Joseph’s School Kaiko¯ura principal Judith Ford confirmed Alex was a pupil at the school. She said her ‘‘thoughts and prayers’’ were with the family
A police spokeswoman said the boy’s death had been referred to the Coroner.
Worksafe is investigating. WorkSafe CEO Nicole Rosie said nearly 90 percent of work-related farm fatalities involve vehicles and machinery.
‘‘There are many risks to manage in farming but critical life or death risks – such as working in, on or around vehicles – require particular attention because the consequences can be devastating.
‘‘While much of the public narrative around vehicle deaths has centred on quad bikes; tractors, side-by-sides and other farm vehicles also contribute to on-farm injuries and fatalities,’’ she said.
According to WorkSafe as of January 31, 2018, 6 people were injured in vehicle related farm incidents with 3 of these coming from the Canterbury region. In 2017, 6 people died in the agriculture sector from vehicle related injuries and 4 of those involved quad bikes. A further 45 people were injured due to quad bike related incidents.
Rural Women New Zealand board member Janet Williams said there were a lot of safety training courses available for farmers to help mitigate the high risk of operating vehicles on farms. ‘‘I encourage all farmers to look at doing farm safety training, it’s something everybody should do weather you’ve been farming for 1 month or 50 years.’’
She said taking part in training was a great investment. ‘‘Just picking up on one tip could actually save a life,’’ she said.