PLEASANT TOWNSHIP, Clark County — A mother is speaking out after her daughter died in an accident involving a combine on Friday night.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Clark County Sheriff’s deputies were called to an accident involving farm equipment on South Champaign Street around 7 p.m.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 36-year-old man killed in fiery crash on busy state route
- Investigation underway after dead body found in backyard of area home
- Police investigating hit-and-run crash after vehicle crashes into Skyline Chili location
The incident happened on private property, and the child was brought to the Pleasant Township Fire Department.
Medics rushed her to a local hospital, where she later died.
The child’s mother, Sara Ray, told News Center 7 that she got a text saying she needed to get to the fire department immediately on Friday night.
She identified the child as her daughter, 5-year-old Charlotte Deselem.
“She liked to run around barefoot with a tutu on and she’d be in the mud in a second, in the prettiest dress you ever seen in your life,” Sara said.
“Singing songs from movies, setting up her toys like an audience before singing and dancing in front of the mirror for movies and stuff like that,” Aras Ray-Lester, Charlotte’s sister, said.
Sara and Aras said they are heartbroken, and they spent Monday planning Charlotte’s funeral.
“And I just had to buy her last princess dress and tiara to take to a funeral home,” Sara said.
She said Charlotte was riding on a combine with her dad when the accident happened.
Charlotte’s dad drove her to the fire department.
“And I get there, and my babys just smashed, lifeless on the ground while they try to bring her back,” Sara said.
She thinks this accident could’ve been prevented.
“Anytime you have a child near a piece of machinery that is that large and that heavy, there is danger for your children, and you need to be fully aware of their surroundings. And if they’re not in arm’s reach, they are in danger,” Sara said.
She wants more people to know about the laws surrounding people under 18 working with farm equipment.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office told News Center 7 that there are no laws saying a child can’t ride on farm equipment, but they can’t operate it.
Sara did not think Charlotte was operating the equipment, but being around the machinery can be just as dangerous.
“People need to be aware of the things that they can do to keep themselves from being in a situation like mine,” Sara said.
“Not only did she die so young, but in such a grotesque way that it’s, yeah, it’s very upsetting to think about,” Aras said.
Charlotte’s viewing is scheduled for Wednesday, and her funeral will happen on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office said this is a sensitive investigation, and it’s early on in the case.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]