Last week I listened to Rural Route Radio with Trent Loos and Kyle Bauer and they discussed the family out east that perished in a manure pit while trying to save each other. Farm safety should be a top priority on any farm...but often it's only until you have a tragedy like ours that you decide to change.
On April 13, 1999 Bobby was backing into the barn wtih a load of corn silage in the skid steer and didn't see our son Jake, then only 22 months old. He backed over him, felt the lump but thought it was a lump of feed. When he got off the skid steer to start the mixer he saw Jake's sweatshirt between the tires and realized what he had done. He carried him into me where I had begun milking. There is no scarier feeling than to see your screaming child with a blue face, droplets of blood coming from his eyes and nose and knowing you can do nothing but wait for the ambulance to arrive.
He was taken to the local hospital and life flighted to a children's hospital 2.5 hours away from us. With no cell phones and a 2.5 hour drive, I can't begin to explain to you the wide range of emotions we went through as we made that long trek not knowing that when we arrived if he would be dead or alive.
I had to convince myself that he had died so it wouldn't be so difficult when I actually was told the news. In my mind, I planned his funeral, cleaned out his room and thought about what our daily lives would be like without Jake. As a mom I felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for not keeping him safe and knew I would have to live with that the rest of my life.
When we arrived, my dad met us in the parking lot and when he said Jake was still alive, I broke down in tears.
After a week in intensive care on a ventilator, they finally determined Jake had a broken femur. He spent the next 8 weeks in a body cast and believe me a body cast with a hole in the back to change his diaper wasn't a pleasant experience for any of us. But we were so happy that God saved Jake we really didn't care what we had to endure.
Jake is now a normal little boy with ambitions of farming. He can now drive that skid steer but safety on our farm is very important. We didn't change our focus on farm safety for just a couple of weeks, it has become a lifestyle change. And every time I'm asked to speak, I include this story because you can never stress safety enough and because if God can save my child, I want to give him as much credit as possible.
6 comments:
I am so glad that you reminded your readers about farm safety. I was shocked and saddened by the report about the family in Virginia.
I work for a business where the majority of the employees grew up on farms and almost every one of them can show you a scar or tell a "war" story of a farming accident. One young man even lost his leg below the knee as a child in a farming accident.
Good for you to be an advocate for farm safety!
And I am so glad that Jake is doing just fine these days!
Farms are a great place to raise a family, but they have the potential to be a very dangerous place for all who work there. Growing up on farms I think we become complacent until something very tragic happens. That's why I tell my story everywhere I can.
Another aspect that we often overlook is the fact that the average rescue worker, be it firemen, first responder, EMT's they really are not educated enough on the unique aspects of a farm accident. Here in Michigan we have a group that puts on Agricultural rescue seminars to train emergency personnel on how to respond to farming accidents such as someone trapped in a grain bin or a combine or how to deal with chemical spills. We take for granted that rescue workers know all this when some of them have never been on a farm, much less know how to get someone out of a grain bin without pulling their body apart, limb by limb.
Anyway, we can all play a important role in farm safety by just by simply thinking about it and being smart.
Thank you Melissa for this story and congrats on the success of your blog.
The story of your son reminds me of all the close calls I had on the farm when I was a kid:My dad nearly backed me over with the tractor on a rainy night as I walked in the tire tracks instead of the deep mud of the feedlot. I slipped and fell,and thankfully my mom snatched me out of the tracks just in time.
It is tragic to hear stories like the Virginian family. A few years ago, a local family lost a father and son the very same way. The son was our old hired hand, and it really hurt to lose someone so close.
Its always important to remember that farmlife is a wonderful way to grow up, but we have to be careful. I encourage everyone to take part in a Farm Safety Camp, sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service. It is a great refresher course.
Thanks again for your story. Best wishes.
Amanda...thanks so much for your comments. Yet another farm kid making a difference in the world! You are doing a great job with your blog, chewingthecud.com and I've enjoyed listening to your radio spots! Keep on standing up for agriculture.
Thank you Melissa! I have enjoyed your blog so much that I linked it to my blog...www.chewingthecud.org.
You are a role model to young people that proves you can balance it all: family, farm, marriage, and career. Thank you!
Hey Amanda
Me? The role model??? You, my young lady, are the role model! I'm so fascinated about the opportunities that are in front of you and that you aren't letting fear or anything else get in your way...you will go far!
Thanks for your encouraging words. They are so nice to hear from the younger generation..in my house from my teenagers... most of what I hear is....where are my shorts? Why can't we play baseball after chores? Can we get some ice cream?
You're awesome Amanda!
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