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Three-year-old boy dies after ‘heartbreaking’ tractor collision on Bury farm

A three-year-old boy died after he was involved in a collision with a tractor on a farm in Bury, Greater Manchester, on Saturday, police said.

Lucas Cumiskey
Saturday 16 July 2022 16:50 EDT
(PA)
(PA) (PA Archive)

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A three-year-old boy has died after a “heartbreaking” collision with a tractor on a farm in Bury.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called shortly before 12.45pm after a vehicle carrying a seriously injured child flagged down an ambulance.

Police were scrambled to the scene, but the boy died before he could be taken to hospital.

He had suffered critical injuries following a collision with a tractor on farmland off Bentley Hall Road in the Tottington area of Bury, the force said.

The driver of the tractor, who is understood to know the child, is assisting police with their inquiries, and GMP are not looking for anyone in connection with the incident.

A police car was also involved in a minor collision with another vehicle on Bell Lane while officers attended the initial 999 call from North West Ambulance Service, the force said.

The occupants of the second vehicle were taken to hospital as a precaution and the officer in the police car was uninjured, it added.

A scene remains in place at the farm while GMP and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigate.

HSE is assisting with the investigation because GMP believes the collision occurred on private land.

A police cordon was in place on Rochdale Old Road, but has since been lifted.

Specialist officers are supporting the family of the boy, and ask that their privacy is respected.

Chief Inspector Ian Partington, of GMP’s Bury district, said: “This is a heartbreaking incident that has seen a young boy tragically lose his life and my thoughts go out to his family and loved ones who will be utterly devastated by today’s events.

“Despite his family flagging down an ambulance while driving him towards hospital quickly as they could, the boy sadly could not be saved after the best efforts of paramedics; I can’t imagine how distressing this was for those involved.

“We are working to ensure that a full investigation is carried out, and the farmland where we understand this incident to have occurred remains cordoned off to allow our investigators and partners from the HSE to conduct thorough inquiries to establish exactly what has occurred here.”

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