Another accident

[TOM4CWB]

Comment from CBC site:

fandango
My heart and feelings go out to the Bott family on their tragic loss, Yes; these children were doing as we all did when growing up on the family farm and that was the enjoyment of living on the farm, we played around equipment with little thought of the dangers that were ever present even tho our parents taught us to be wary........

18 minutes ago
1Like

[TOM4CWB]

A devastated family in central Alberta doesn't regret raising their children on a farm, despite the death of their three daughters, who were buried under canola seed while playing in the back of a truck.

RCMP identified the girls as Catie, 13, and 11-year-old twins Dara, and Jana. They're the daughters of Roger and Bonita Bott.

A visibly emotional RCMP Sgt. Mike Numan read a statement from the family Wednesday morning.

"Our kids died living life on the farm," he read at a news conference in Rocky Mountain House. "It is a family farm. We do not regret raising and involving our kids … it was our life."

According to RCMP, the girls were buried and smothered by the seed at a family farm near Withrow on Tuesday evening. They had been on the back of a grain truck.

"The girls were with their parents, and while the truck was being unloaded they somehow fell into the canola seed," said Ivan Dijkstra, deputy fire chief with Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Service.

Adults at the scene pulled the girls out. Emergency responders tried to resuscitate the girls using CPR and oxygen therapy for two hours but the 13-year-old and one of the 11-year-old twins died at the scene.

"Canola seed is a very small grain and it gets into your lungs and stops the oxygen transfer," Dijkstra said.

The third injured sister was taken to Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton. She died at 3:18 a.m. MT Wednesday.

'That's what farm kids do'

Fred Bott, Roger's first cousin, said the Bott family is a tightly knit group and well established in the local farming community.

"There's just no words that you can say," said Fred Bott in a telephone interview from Kamloops where he lives. "This is something that happens to somebody else, you hear about it on the news, and you say 'jeepers' that poor family."

Fred Bott said he was invited to the Bott farm often while growing up in Rocky Mountain House, Alta.

He said many might question why the children weren't more closely monitored on the farm.

"Anytime we went to visit, you were always out playing out in the haystacks, playing in the barn loft, playing in the grain. That's what farm kids do."

Pastor Brian Allan of the Withrow Gospel Mission was close friends with the family. He said the family was involved with the church and the girls were part of youth and children's groups.

He was with the Botts last night as they struggled to cope with their loss.

"It's one of those things where you reel backwards," he said. "There's disbelief and shock."

Allan said six farmers with combines are heading to the Botts' farm today to finish the harvesting on their land.

[rockpile]

Tom - give it a rest! If you want to have a moral or political discussion then start a new thread. The fact is a terrible event struck a young and obviously happy family last night, and they will never recover from this event. And I hate to be a contrarian, but there is no such thing as an "accident". Incidents are always caused by a series of complex and connected events that lead to a bad outcome. Don't believe me? Talk to your Insurance agent!
I can't even begin to imagine how I could cope with something like this if it would have happened to me. There is only one thing important in life - respect it...

[hobbyfrmr]

Very sad situation. Something doesn't add up. It is unusual that a family with such passion for farming would allow kids inside a truck box. They must have been taught about being visible around all machines and operators trained to look for people around them.
Very sad.

[hedgehog]

Its the size off machinery that is the problem.
My father fell off the back of a fordson N around 1940 aged 5 and the disc harrow just pushed him into the dirt and scratched his back,
today he would be sliced into burgers by discs.

[cottonpicken]

Hobby i agree,i just cant picture this thing in my mind.

[sumdumguy]

How unbelievably sad. When we were kids, we stayed in the grain truck hanging on to the tightners when loading, unloading, whenever. Worst thing that ever happened to us was that we lost our shoes.

Never judge because we are not the judge. Those poor people! Those wagons unload at such a rate, who would have a chance to get out? Accidents happen and kids can be in the darnedest places.

[RTK]

To those that brought this accident to our attention as a reminder to do our best to be safe; to those offering sympathy to the family; to those letting us know that neighbours are helping finish the harvest - thank-you. To the folks spewing a bunch of verbal crap enough already.

[MBgrower]

I agree with forage, tom you are a real ass.

[TOM4CWB]

If we can't learn from other folks accidents... then it makes the tragedy tragic.

If we do learn... and make our world a safer place... respect life and liberty... then something positive can come out of the tragedy.

Here is the video of the farm... and they are obviously not a large operation.

Mounty Explaining the 'incident'

[video=youtube;]http://www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?mediaId=2677120089[/video]

An agriculture safety expert is raising concerns about glamourizing farms as play areas after three young girls died while playing on a family farm in Alberta this week.

"Certain practices are shown and perceived as being fun when in reality they're not, and so that whole misconception about the safety of them increases," said Glen Blahey, an agricultural health and safety specialist with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association in Winnipeg.

Canola seed incident that killed 2 girls claims life of 3rd sister
The three girls were playing in the back of a grain truck on their family farm Tuesday night when they were buried by canola seed.

Emergency crews tried to save 13-year-old Catie Bott and 11-year-old twins Dara and Jana Bott, but by Wednesday morning, all three had died.

Blahey said incidents like the one that killed the girls are becoming more common.

Bott family
Three sisters were killed after becoming buried in grain on a family farm in Alberta this week. RCMP have identified them as 13-year-old Catie Bott and 11-year-old twins Dara and Jana Bott. They're the daughters of Roger and Bonita Bott. (Facebook )

Between 1990 and 2012, there were 272 kids killed in agriculture fatalities. The majority of those children – 72 per cent – were the kids of the owner or operator of the farm.

In that time period, six children died due to asphyxia related to a grain or soil incident.

So far in 2015, there have been seven Canadians killed due to asphyxia on farms, including four children – that's according to statistics from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

Blahey said the increase in asphyxia deaths on farms is due in part to the increase in grain being handled recently and because of improved reporting of incidents in the industry.

"Certainly, the first thing that went through my mind is how tragic, how difficult for the family and the community to lose three people like that," he said.

It's common for people to think of farms or harvesting areas as play areas – but they're not, Blahey said.

"Last fall, the Rick Mercer Report did a wonderful piece on harvesting, focusing on agriculture and the industry and harvesting grain. Unfortunately, the show ended with Rick Mercer and a couple of the grandchildren of the farmer hosting the show rolling around in a pile of grain," he said. "Grain is not a play area. It's a commodity that acts like quick sand. It acts like a fluid as soon as it starts to move, and the hazards associated with being trapped in grain are very critical."

The University of Manitoba has introduced a new agriculture safety course that Blahey said is seeing a huge response, but families need to have conversations with their kids about staying safe on farms.

"It needs to be talked about at the dinner table. Kids, ask your parents how much you're worth to them. Are you worth as much to them as it costs to put a roll-bar on your tractor? Tonight, at the dinner table if every family [should ask,] 'What are we doing to protect ourselves and to protect our children and protect our neighbours?"

[riders2010]

Tom Tom Tom, please take the pills you need right now!

[farmaholic]

My deepest condolences to the Bott family.

I can't imagine how I'd "cope".

[furrowtickler]

A truly sad situation
When we get busy , no children are allowed near the machinery till they are at least 14 . Unless they are sitting in the buddy seat on a combine if they wish for a ride.
Things get busy when the combines and trucks are rolling - absolutely no young children alowed any where near where we are working .
My heart goes out to that family but young kids being around grain trucks , augers , combines , grain carts and or swathers at harvest time is not even an option here.

[newguy]

My grandchildren live to come to the farm every summer for a week.Do not know how I could ever really live if they were to get hurt bad on my farm.A real eye opener.

[freewheat]

Well. What a sad tragedy. Absolutely brutal and excruciatingly sad. My soul ached every hour when they spoke of this family on the radio. I too wonder how it happened, but it did, and can not be changed now. I pray the family has the support they need, and that the poor soul who did the unloading can have some sort of peace.

I simply can not fathom the pain they must feel, and will feel forever. I too have four kids, similar ages, and I hugged them extra close and long tonight...