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PROVO CANYON — A 6-year-old boy died Friday morning after falling off a machine used for snow removal.
Officials on Saturday identified the child as Herman Slaughter.
Slaughter was riding a Kubota Skid Steer loader with his father and his 9-year-old brother as the father removed snow at Aspen Grove Family Camp, according to Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
During the process, the machine “bounced or lurched” and caused the boy to fall forward out of his seat and into the machine’s path, Cannon said. The machine’s bucket or arm then struck Slaughter in the head, causing critical injuries.
The boy’s father gave him CPR until paramedics from the North Fork Fire Department arrived, but they determined his injuries were too severe and pronounced him dead at the scene.
“There’s nothing to indicate that this was negligent or that this was anything other than a tragic accident,” Cannon said.
Slaughter’s body was taken to a medical examiner’s office in Taylorsville for an autopsy, but officials “don’t expect any information from the autopsy that we don’t already know from our investigation at the scene,” Cannon added.
A GoFundMe* account was created for Herman’s family.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
Contributing: Jason Tullin, KSL NewsRadio; Graham Dudley, KSL.com
