Child dies in farm accident

Photo: CTV

RCMP say a seven-year-old girl has died of injuries she suffered when her leg was severed by a farm tractor that struck her as she played in a hay field in rural Nova Scotia.

RCMP Sgt. Terry Miller said the child was alone in the field that was being mowed when the accident happened about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Clementsvale area.

Miller said the tractor operator was aware of the presence of the child and was planning to stop the machinery when he came around. But Miller said when the operator turned around and stopped the tractor, he couldn't see the child anywhere and thought she had returned to the house.

Instead, he said, it appears the young girl hid in the deep, metre-high grass.

"The operator had mowed over an area and as he was coming back he was travelling in the swath he had just mowed," Miller said. "The mower was off to the side and he saw a child laying directly in front of him.

"He immediately stopped the tractor and got out and ran to the child...you can imagine it was horrific."

Miller said the girl was visiting her grandparents, whose property is next to the field.