Boy, 6, injured in fall from trailer
Rocky Mountain News
Monday, May 12, 2008
A 6-year-old boy was being treated for serious injuries at Children's Hospital on Sunday night after he fell off a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck while his father was doing farm chores in Livermore.
The boy, Nicholas Boaz, was struck by the trailer after he fell off.
His father, William Greenwood, 33, was pulling the trailer.
The accident happened around 5:45 p.m. at a residence on Red Feather Lakes Road just west of Livermore in Larimer County, according to a report from the Colorado State Patrol.
The boy was transported to Medical Center of The Rockies in Loveland for treatment before being airlifted to Children's Hospital in Aurora.
The state patrol said no decision has been made regarding possible charges in the incident.
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
May 12, 2008
7:10 a.m.
Suggest removal
Creative_N_Denver writes:
Children getting hurt happens all the time on farms and on farm equipment. We only hear about it now because of the hype of getting the news out there and need to make a buck. I can remember farmers teaching their children how to drive a tractor at 2 or 3 years of age. Everyone helped on a farm, it is hard work and charging this family won't help their situation!
Farmers teach their children early about responsibility, maybe if all the so call professionals got their noses out of everyones business and let parents be parents, we would not be raising a bunch of children who feel we owe them everything and letting them sue for every little thing. 6 years old is young by todays standards, but it also depends on the child and how they were raised. If you check back in our history, children ran farms by that age in the 1950-60's. Parents could trust them to handle equipment, work the livestock etc... Many times I have seen small children in the back of a pickup truck, children not in car seats and a police officer right next to them. Again, it depends on who is reporting it, the power of the media. In my neighborhood, the police are so busy with crime that pulling you over for a child not in a seat belt, may not be on the top of their list. But as soon as the media puts focus on it, all kinds of tickets are issued. Same as what has happened here...
May 12, 2008
7:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
GWM writes:
Creative, although you state many true facts, the fact of the matter is the 6 year old was placed in a dangerous situation that had a bad outcome. As a young boy I rode in the back of a pickup a lot (even sitting on the edge of the bed, even riding on the bumper holding on to the tailgate). It was very stupid and I am lucky I was not killed. Many were killed back then. We were not as protective and safety conscious. I am very much against nannyism. However, farmer or not, the boy should have been riding in the cab and not the trailer. He might have done it a hundred times before, but you see what *can* happen. The family has lost a little boy that should be in school today. I am so sorry for their loss.
May 12, 2008
12:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
SaddleTramp writes:
Have to agree with Creative. Sometimes out of necessity a child has to help with the farm chores. Regrettably, accidents do happen. I learned to operate a tractor at 5 years old. Had to help on the ranch. We couldn't afford hired hands so the kids did what work we could. Btw, GWM, the child suffered serious injuries, the family has not lost him and hopefully, he'll recover.
May 12, 2008
12:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
GWM writes:
SaddlePerson (I bet you are not a tramp) oops, I knew that. Not sure why I went to the death aspect. Helping with chores is one thing. Riding in the trailer rather than the cab has nothing to do with learning to work on a farm and using equipment at a young age. Two completely different thoughts. Working is a fact of life and a good thing for a young boy to learn. Riding in a trailer rather than the cab is an unfortunate accident, but avoidable unlike work.
May 12, 2008
3:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
TheDenverB writes:
so, are you justifying this kid being hurt like this?
i mean, growing up on a farm and learning how to drive/use heavy equipment doesn't mean you are allowed to be irresponsible with your six year old...
i mean, i learned to drive a truck at 10 years old so i could go feed the cattle... but i also learned what was and wasn't safe behavior in riding in the back of said truck.... let alone on a trailer.
granted, i don't know the whole situation (none of us do), but six year olds don't necessarily have the best balance and wherewithal to be in that situation -- raised on a farm or not.
May 13, 2008
1:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
littleb writes:
Anyone who blames this father (who I'm sure is already feeling guilty)must not have kids. He could have been pulling Nicholas in a wagon when he fell out. Nicholas could have been climbing a tree. Anything could happen at any time. A child can fall down on the cement and hit his head. I knew a boy who was trying to get a badge for Boy Scout's riding his bike. He had a helmet on, but he hit the road the wrong way and it killed him instantly. Accidents happen. And, what about hay rides that are given on the back of a tractor? Will those need to stop because it's an "avoidable" situation? You want your kids to live a full life and enjoy everything they can. If you try to keep them from trying new things, that just means they'll be doing them without you. We can never be 100% sure an accident is not going to happen. We can only hope our children are not in harms way. Just pray for this family and stop pointing the finger. IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE. This father needs all the support he can get.......
May 13, 2008
2:04 p.m.
Suggest removal
GWM writes:
littleb, since you are talking about my comments and TheDenverB's comments I will take a stab at what you seem to miss in both of our posts. But to begin, I feel great sympathy for this father. I have no reason to believe he is not a loving and responsible person who is devastated with this accident. I am not attacking him at all. I am only voicing opinion on the circumstance of the accident.
There is no doubt our kids can find any number of ways to hurt themselves while they are growing up. My best friend broke his arm falling out of a tree. Another friend lost an eye falling on a rake. (even then, the 50's, we knew rakes should either be put up or turned down. Tragic.) I have fallen off of bikes and we did not wear helmets in those days. We should not stop climbing trees, riding bikes, and other normal activities.
However, we as a society decided a long time ago it was not safe to ride in the back of a pickup. It is not safe to ride on some wagons (apparently). Again, I will say I am against nannyism, but a six year old unsupervised on a trailer can lead to a terrible accident that can be avoided if the child is in the cab were he is supposed to be.
May 13, 2008
2:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
GWM writes:
BTW, if an adult had been in the trailer with the boy ensuring he did not stand up or get close to the edge, I would see nothing wrong with that for a short ride.
Littleb, you asked a question in your first line suggesting I must not have kids. I would ask you the same thing. Would you have allowed your six year old to ride unaccompanied in the back of that trailer? (I concede that I am making that assumption. That the boy was alone and the Dad was alone in the truck). I do not believe you if you say yes. If you would, you are putting you child in an unnecessarily dangerous position that is nothing like climbing a tree or riding a bike.