POTTER TOWNSHIP — A 16-year-old boy died while conducting farm work in Potter Township on March 29.
Centre County Coroner Scott A. Sayers was called to the scene at 2926 Lower Brush Valley Road mid-morning. He said the boy was operating a manure spreader when he became pinned between two metal wheels on the machine.
According to the autopsy, the boy died as a result of blunt force trauma and the manner of death is accidental.
A 2021 study by Penn State Extension
said there were 39 farm and agricultural-related fatalities recorded in Pennsylvania in 2020, which was a significant increase from the previous five-year average of 27.4 death per year.
The study found that males are much more likely to be fatally injured than females. The study also found the Anabaptist community continues to suffer from relatively high farm-related fatality rates.
