Posted by Tramway Guy on July 13, 2016 at 20:55:59 from (64.185.153.146):
HOMER, N.Y. -- When his boss found him, Alex Smith was pinned under a bale of hay and a hydraulic lift bucket.
The 14-year-old boy had been preparing bales of hay to feed cows on July 1, 2015 at the Park Family Farm in Homer when the accident happened.
Smith was crushed and killed. Farm owner Luke Park told the New York State Police that when he found the Smith's body, the engine of the New Holland LS170 Skid Loader the boy had been operating was still running, reported state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.
The lift bucket on the skid loader itself weighs between 300 and 500 pounds depending the model, according to a New Holland website. Hay bales can vary greatly in weight, from as little as less than 100 pounds to more than 1,500 pounds depending on the size and density of hay, according to the various state Cooperative Extension offices.
A year later, Park has been charged with violating child labor laws in connection to Smith's death.
Park was arrested this week and charged with violating labor laws and falsifying business records. He is accused of letting Smith use a machine with a hydraulic lift and fork attachment -- equipment state law "explicitly" prohibits minors from using, Schneiderman said.
"Child labor laws were enacted to protect the safety of our children and to avoid terrible yet foreseeable tragedies like the one alleged in this case," he said. "Adults have a responsibility to protect our children, and when an employer places a minor in harm's way, that employer will be held responsible and prosecuted."
In addition to charges related to Smith's death, the state accused Park of committing other labor law violations.
Park is accused of requiring minors who worked at his dairy farm to work 60 hours a week, Schneiderman said. State law prohibits 16 and 17 year olds from working more than 48 hours when school is out of session.
Investigators reviewed the farm's records and learned "many" employees were paid off-the-books, Schneiderman said. The state has charged Park with underpaying his unemployment insurance contributions by over $9,000.
Park was charged with eight counts of falsifying business records and filing false unemployment insurance contribution returns with the state, all felonies. He was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, illegal hours of work for minors, prohibited employment of minors and the willful failure to pay unemployment insurance contributions, all misdemeanors.
Park was arraigned in Homer Town Court and released. He is scheduled to reappear in court on Aug. 16.
The state Department of Labor assisted with the investigation. State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said in a news release that the case was reminder that child labor laws exist "for a very good reason."
According to an obituary posted on X101 Always Classic, Smith loved farming, fireworks and outdoor sports. He would've been a freshman at Homer High School.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo filesizes should be less than 300K and Videos, less than 2MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Women and Tractors - Tractor Engine Repair - by Teri Burkholder. One of the great things about working on a tractor engine with your other half is that you know what he is thinking of at all times and can anticipate his every move and his next thought of what he will do. With Ben, anyway, I can tell! He'll be busy working and I’m handing him tools and he says, "give me that..." and I’ve already got it in his hand or "hand me that....."and I’ve got the portable light right where he needed it placed to see. "Run in the house and get me a...."as I open th
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
