Boy, 7, Dies After Being Hit by Piece of Farming Machinery While Helping in Field

A 7-year-old boy is dead after an accident involving farming machinery.

Pennsylvania State Police said that first responders were dispatched to the Montgomery Township area, which is about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, at around 10:15 a.m. on July 2, according to WHP-TV, Penn Live and WGAL.

When first responders arrived on the scene they found that the child, who was not identified, had been "struck by a piece of machinery," though they did not detail what kind of machinery or how it happened, per the outlets.

Authorities said that the boy had been helping out in the field when the incident happened, according to WGAL. 

Police told the outlets that their investigation determined there were no signs of foul play and the boy’s death was ruled accidental. 

The MMP&W Volunteer Fire Department in Mercersburg, which helped respond to the incident, according to the Chambersburg Public Opinion, shared on social media that they had responded to the incident alongside the Hagerstown Fire Department. 

“A second tragedy occurred in our area later this morning with the loss of a young life,” they wrote in the post. “We want to ask that you keep the family and the crew on the call in your thoughts and prayers.”

They noted that Hagerstown Fire Department's Battalion Chief Brian Henry and Lieutenant Dave Effinger met with the volunteer fire department’s EMS crews at the hospital and talked with them to “begin the healing process.”

“People some times don't understand the physical and mental toll that being a firefighter/EMT/Paramedic can have on someone,” the volunteer fire department said. “We do this because we love helping our community and we love saving/protecting life and property.”  

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“However, sometimes it does come with a price!  We may be tough...but our hearts do break!,” they added.

According to a study from Penn State University's College of Agricultural Sciences, 33 people died of “injuries suffered in farm-related incidents” in Pennsylvania last year. The study found that fatal incidents “disproportionately affected young children and older adults,” as six victims had been under 10 years old, while 13 victims had been over the age of 65.