Telehandler overturns, killing eight-year-old boy

An eight-year-old boy was killed when a telehandler overturned on a meadow in Haibach im Mühlkreis, in the Urfahr-Umgebung district, on Sunday morning, ORF reported. The family’s dog also died.

The boy’s 39-year-old father was driving the vehicle near their property at about 8:50 a.m., with his son sitting on his left thigh. He was trying to push a rotten tree stump with the extended arm of the telehandler. The pallet fork attached to the vehicle appears to have been positioned relatively high on the stump, causing the machine to tip sideways and overturn.

The father remained inside the cab and suffered minor injuries. He was treated as an outpatient at Linz Accident Hospital. The boy was thrown from the vehicle and crushed. Emergency medical staff could only confirm his death. The family’s dog, which was beside the vehicle, was also killed.

A crisis intervention team supported the family.