A 3-year-old boy was killed after his father ran over him with a tractor while backing up at a northern Arkansas farm, authorities said.
The Izard County sheriff’s office said the tractor struck the child around 2:40 p.m. on Monday along Knob Creek Road in Melbourne, a city roughly 125 miles north of Little Rock.
Sheriff Earnie Blackley said it happened while the father and his brother were chopping down trees that afternoon.
Medical crews arrived and performed emergency treatment, but the child died a short time later, the sheriff’s office said.
County coroner Eddie Howard said the child suffered multiple traumatic injuries. His office ruled the death as accidental.
Blackley said his office was investigating the death on Tuesday, but he couldn’t say whether any criminal charges may follow.
“Anytime you’re dealing with a 3-year-old, no matter what, it is a tragedy,” he said. “A true tragedy.”