Boy dies in ‘tragic’ farm accident

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 16, 2000

What started as a routine chore turned tragic Sunday when an 11-year-old Louisiana boy died after falling from the back of a pick up truck and was pinned underneath a trailer loaded with hay Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell said.

He said Jerel Gardner of Kenner died of internal injuries at Natchez Regional Medical Center.

Ferrell said the child, who was spending the summer with his grandparents in Sibley, was helping his grandfather load square hay bales onto the back of the truck and trailer.

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As they were finishing up for the day, somehow the child fell from the truck, Ferrell said.

The Adams County Sheriff’s office and an AMR ambulance service arrived on the scene to find the trailer jacked up and the boy walking out without help, Ferrell said.

The boy was unresponsive to the EMTs on the scene and was transported to the hospital to be checked for injuries, Ferrell said.

Ferrell said the most dangerous part is when anyone riding on the back of the truck falls between the two vehicles.

&uot;The trailer is already low to the ground, but the weight of hay loaded on it can crush a person, causing internal injuries,&uot; Ferrell said.

&uot;This sort of thing has happened before,&uot; he said. &uot;It is always tragic when this type of accident happens.&uot;