ST. AUGUSTA, Minn. (WCCO/WQOW) – An investigation is underway after a 13-year-old boy was killed at a haunted hayride in Minnesota when he was run over by a tractor-pulled trolley wagon.
Investigators say 13-year-old Alexander “Xander” Mick was killed Saturday night when he was run over by a tractor-pulled wagon at the Harvest of Horror Haunted Hayride in St. Augusta.
Xander’s mother, Teri Mick, says he was “full of life.” Among other activities, he did taekwondo, played drums and soccer and was a Boy Scout.
“Hold your babies tight. I would do anything to hold my baby again,” she wrote on Facebook.
There are still many unanswered questions about the incident, including who was driving the tractor and what Xander was doing when this happened. A spokesman for the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday they’re still investigating.
An eerily similar incident took place at a haunted hayride in Tennessee the night before Xander’s death. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says 12-year-old Samuel Jessen died after he accidentally fell under a trailer and was run over.
There are few state regulations in Minnesota when it comes to the growing agritourism industry.
Kids are at risk any time they are around farm equipment. New research shows roughly 115 children die in agricultural-related incidents every year. The vast majority of those injuries happen when the kids are not even working.
Casper Bendixsen, the director of the National Farm Medicine Center, says while it is a good thing agritourism is becoming more popular, farmers could use some help when they expand into hospitality.
“There’s a lot at stake. There’s not just the human health of the visitors and the workers, there’s a business at stake. There’s a community at stake,” he said.
Organizers of the Harvest of Horror hayride have canceled the remaining nights of the event out of respect for Xander’s family.
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