Watertown first responders get counseling after child’s death in tractor accident

First responders who were called to the scene where a 4-year-old girl was fatally trapped under bladed farm equipment in Watertown over the weekend have undergone counseling, town officials said.

“The Watertown Police Department takes the mental wellness of our personnel very seriously,” police Chief Joshua Bernegger said Monday during a news conference. “As such, all Watertown Police Department personnel who were involved in Saturday’s tragic incident have participated in a structured, critical incident stress debriefing this morning with licensed clinicians, clergy, our department’s peer support team and our comfort dog.”

Continued mental health assistance will be available through the town’s Employee Assistance Program, he said.

Town Manager Mark A. Raimo said firefighters also participated in the debriefing.

“This is a difficult tragedy to have been involved in,” Raimo said, addressing the first responders. “Please take comfort in knowing that we care about you and you are supported.”

Bernegger called Ellie Kuslis’ death “horrific and tragic” and “an unimaginable tragedy.” He added, “As difficult as this tragedy is for our responders, it pales in comparison to the grief and heartbreak being experienced by the Kuslis family. The loss of one’s child is the ultimate tragedy. We want the Kuslis family to know that the Watertown Police Department, along with the entire Watertown and Oakville community, grieves the loss of Ellie with you.”

Ellie was fatally injured Saturday afternoon by a slice seeder that was attached to a tractor her father had been operating on their farm. A slice seeder is a machine that uses blades to cut deep grooves into the soil into which seeds are dropped.

The accident happened about 3:20 p.m. after Ellie’s father had stopped the tractor. He was working on the equipment as the seeder remained engaged, Detective Mark Conway said.

Despite the efforts of neighbors and first responders, the girl died at the scene.

During an autopsy Sunday, medical examiners determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma and ruled the death an accident, police said. Police said they continue to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident.

In her obituary, Ellie’s family remembered her as “a spark plug of a girl” and an animal lover who loved to ride horses.

“She wanted to be an animal doctor, people doctor, and an animal rescuer and she would have been all three,” the obituary said. “In her time on this earth, she did help rescue some animals. She was a true cowgirl.”

Even at 4, Ellie “had wit, warmth and sparkle” and “wisdom beyond her years.” She could read at 3, it said.

“Every inch of the Kuslis Farm was known to her as she explored life with an energy unmatched by others and a curiosity unparalleled. Ellie is forever a part of the land she grew up on,” the obituary said.

“Ellie was a gift to all who knew her.”