A 15-year-old Ashern, Man., boy was killed Oct. 18 when he fell off a tractor’s fender and was crushed by the wheels of a cart the tractor was pulling.
Justin Paul Matthews survived the accident but died in hospital.
The boy was working with his father and another man in a wooded area of his family’s farm, where they were cutting and hauling wood.
The father was still in the woods working when his son’s accident occurred along a road allowance trail.
The tractor, driven by a 22-year-old man, was hauling a load of logs on a trailer, plus carrying logs in the front bucket.
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One of the logs in the bucket fell out, causing the tractor to bounce violently, which threw the boy off the fender. He was run over by the trailer wheels and dragged a short distance before the tractor stopped.
No charges
Constable Brad Miner said alcohol was not involved in the accident, the tractor was travelling at 20 km-h or slower, and no charges are pending.
“It was a simple accident,” said Miner.
“He shouldn’t have been sitting on the fender, like everybody knows.”
Miner said the accident wouldn’t have happened if the tractor had a cab.
