Was the Mower Death of Girl Criminally Negligent? | Sia Van Wyck Case Analysis 

If a child enters the area being mowed. You stop the operation until the child has been removed. Period.

A seven year old on unfamiliar territory should have been supervised. Period

Farms ARE dangerous places. It’s a shame Sia’s grandmother didn’t make Sia aware of that and keep a closer eye on her.

This case is so sad. Having grown up on a farm, as you were telling the story I heard my Daddy’s voice telling me to always stay clear of the tractor when he was cutting hay. Everyone here dropped the ball and unfortunately a little girl lost her life. 😢

10:40 Exactly. When the driver saw the girl on the field should have stopped the tractor and tell the girl to leave the field entirely.

I'm a farmer and if you're mowing and hit something you shouldn't, even if it's a huge tractor hitting a tiny person, it gets your attention. The monotonous drone of just hitting plant matter is broken. For it not to do so I'd guess he was intoxicated.

I only recently realized, at 65, how crazy it was for my parents to let me go horseback riding, starting at age 9, out in the woods. I rode for miles and miles, all day sometimes, alone, bareback (no saddle). We lived off the grid in the wilderness where cougars and bears lived. I never got injured save for a scratch here or there from a blackberry vine, let alone murdered by a mountain lion! I wouldn't have let my kids do that!

Maybe he went home and drank that whiskey because he already was drunk and knew it would be obvious when the paramedics arrived. If he was drinking when the cops showed up at his house, there wouldn’t be any way to tell when he started drinking. Lots of alcoholics can mow in a straight line with a high BAC.

I was working for the same tractor company, J.I. Case Co. , when the service manager accidentally ran over his own 2 year old child with a large articulating wheel loader, and killed him. Children should NEVER be anywhere near heavy equipment, not even if Dad is a respected service manager. SO SAD, & SO AVOIDABLE.

I was raised on a farm, with many tractors. A tractor is a very large drive train. It is a machine, like a huge engine attached to wheels. They are entirely made out of heavy steel and cast iron. Tractors have ZERO mercy and ZERO consideration for biological organisms. Think of them as a giant meat grinder on wheels. Little kids should be nowhere near a tractor. When I was two or three, I sat on my grandfather's lap as he mowed his meadow. The tractor was a Farmall Cub (IH). Grandpa put the tractor in neutral, and put the brake down, which had a lever pulled over it to keep the brake on. That's how you kept the tractor from moving while in neutral. Somehow I kicked the lever up, and the tractor started rolling toward the tree line. I was a boy on a tractor--of course I was going to try what I just saw Grandpa doing! Wouldn't he be proud of me! Grandpa turned around and yelled, "Hey!" He ran like greased lightning. He jumped up on the tractor, which is such a dangerous thing to do, like you wouldn't believe, because if he had stepped in front of the rear wheels, it would have been over for him, and wouldn't have turned out so good for me, either. That incident was one of about three memories I have from my pre-verbal stage. Another was eating out of our dog's bowl, and the neighbor laughing about it. But that's a story for another day!

I grew up on a farm and you almost never look back when operating the tractor in a field because to keep straight lines, you need to focus on a point in the distance. As soon as you turn your body around, you run the risk of deviating from your line and missing some crops and have to do an added pass. It's mindless tedious work that you just go into autopilot mode for. What a horrible tragedy. RIP Sia and my condolences to her family and friends. I hope that the old farmer gets therapy. Sounds like he needs it.

Dogs are not babysitters. Kids shouldn't be left in their care, especially in dangerous areas. Everyone failed that poor little girl. RIP Sia.

I grew up on a farm in Texas. They are deceptively calm and peaceful places. - Lots of heavy machinery, sharp tools, environmental dangers, and even wild animals. I can name 3 times off the top of my head where I could have lost my life, and its far worse for a little girl who hadnt grown up in that environment. Roland had his issues, but her family bears just as much (if not more) responsibility for knowingly allowing her to roam freely with large equipment operating nearby. You can hear those tractors operating mowing equipment for over a mile. I used to wear headphones to muffle the sound even in the tractor's enclosed cabin. Her family needs to reflect on their own terrible choices that day. Sad, sad story.

There’s so much negligence here it is astounding. The fact that Roland noticed the girl running around and did not immediately stop is remarkable to me. But the whole situation was created by a huge lack of awareness by her grandmother, who gave 0 thought to the danger. RIP Sia.

I’m 52 and grew up on a farm. I was allowed to roam freely from an early age with limited supervision. Fast forward to today. I have a 16 year old and work as a preschool teacher. Parenting has changed. Nowadays parents wouldn’t dream of letting their children roam like I did. I think it’s a generational thing.

One of those stories you're hoping doesn't turn out like you're expecting while hearing him tell it.

More tragically, had Rowland applied a tourniquet instead of abandoning the injured girl he might have saved her life.

Our law school personal injury book was full of lawn mower accidents. It's mind numbing how many people just let their kids run around when dangerous equipment is being used. Even small mowers can be dangerous around a child. My lawyer step-father actually enjoyed mowing the grass. We were never allowed in the yard when he was doing so. I guess the personal injury text he had used in school was full of lawn mower accidents as well.

If she was jumping up and down, that means that she was not holding on to the dog's leash anymore. If he had one. Maybe he got away and she was trying to alert him because she was afraid he'd run over the dog?

that is an extremely fair assessment, and edactly what my wife and I were saying; we live in the rural upper Midwest and have both been around mowers and harvesters and tractors our whole ilves. You absolutely must teach your children how to behave in dangerous environments, and being a cantankerous old drunk might make you decidedly unpleasant, but it isn't illegal. It was her parent's responsibility to not allow her onto someone else's property in a dangerous situation. You'd hope he'd have enough sense to get off his tractor and give her a good tongue lasing himself about jumping and playing around dangerous machinery, but unfortunately, you can't count on it. Parents have to look out for their children and take responsibility!

What a painful tragedy. In my opinion, when it comes to the supervision of small children I usually lean on the side of over-precaution. I have witnessed a few instances in which terrible things happened to children in a split of a second. Personally, I was hit by a car when I was 7 and that’s all it took, a millisecond distraction. Excellent analysis as usual. Thank you, Dr. Grande.❤

I grew up working on family dairy farms, each with a variety of large, powerful and dangerous (in the wrong hands) farm equipment. As a child, we are taught never to enter a field which is being harvested, especially where it has not yet been cut. When I was old and responsible enough to begin operating machinery, I was taught how to do those jobs as well in a responsible manner. I can say from experience that operating a tractor with mower as described does require concentrated attention to the task and primarily involves making sure the tractor and mower are operating properly, that you are properly aligned as you make your rounds, etc. Although awareness of the environment outside of the equipment operation is a responsibility, it is not the main focus. You do not expect pedestrians, pets, etc. to be where you are working. It is apparently easy to vilify a person going about their business in such a manner by those who do not understand it. Consider that the child was allowed to wander into essentially a dangerous industrial environment where heavy equipment was being operated. In this setting a child or pet are not expected to be there and can easily be overlooked among the operational requirements of the job. On the other hand, if the farmer had simply shut down, addressed the child waving its arms at the moment he recognized it, much could have been avoided.

I don’t think Ronald is a saintly man by any means but I do think this was completely an accident. He’s probably the kind of man thats like “my tractor will most likely scare away any kids or animals” and that’s that.

What a tragic and senseless death. One thing that never ceases to horrify me is how often caretakers of a child assume she/he knows things without being ever taught by the caretakers themselves, and how entitled they feel to having strangers accommodate and care for their children in a way themselves often don't. Of course, it's basic human decency to care about a child's safety regardless of blood ties, but it's still something we should never count on, or feel entitled to.

Accidents happen and when a child is involved it’s tragic! We want someone to blame; someone needs to pay! I agree with your comments Dr Grande. It only takes a minute. Look hard and look twice!

Dr Grande, this is an evolving and intense story. A British nurse who is accused of killing many babies by insulin injection, saline water injection into the stomach, air into the bloodstream. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. She is currently on trial and more things are currently being revealed as it progresses.

A friend of my fathers was using a bush hog (or brush hog, basically a huge mower pulled and powered by a farm tractor) when he was swept off the tractor seat by a tree limb. He fell underneath and was hacked up by the spinning 6 foot blade. He didn't notice the tree ahead because it's common to drive a bush hog looking backward over your shoulder at the mower deck. He was 35, left a wife and 3 children. There are many ways farm equipment can maim or kill you, even if you know what your doing.

My brother ran me over with the lawn mower too when I was 5 and he was 8. He was just driving it around for fun so the blades were not on. My dad was gardening and I was standing next to my dad watching him garden. He said "watch out" so I backed up right into the lawn mower. My dad meant to watch out for the lawn mower behind us but I thought he meant to watch out for something he was going to do in the garden. My brother should have definitely not been driving a lawn mower at that age and not so close to use. I thank God periodically throughout my life that the blades were off... I feel so terrible for this little girl. 💔

I just feel so bad for everyone in this story. That poor little girl, her parents, her grandparents, and that man. Nobody in this story has ill intentions, nobody wanted anyone hurt. This is just a tragic, horrible, accident

Regardless of negligence, he ought to have stopped when he saw her as it was obviously likely that she needed help. From his point of view, it could indeed have been that the dog was loose (if he knew about him) but she could just have been lost (if she couldn’t see her grandparents’ farm due to the grass or topography) or an adult from her family could have suffered an emergency. No one reasonable sees a child waving for help and just carries on.

Many failed this little girl. The jackass should have stopped the tractor when he saw her running behind. Grandmother should kept an eye on her and the police didn't do their job. I can't imagine the horror went through that little girl's mind. Rest now little girl in heaven.

I grew up around farming equipment, we were told constantly to stay cleat of the tractors and all farm equipment because the operator cannot hear you and can't always see you. We obeyed but I remember when my city cousins would come down for 2 weeks in the summer it was like dealing with newborns. They had no idea about anything farm related. Growing up we wondered alone for miles with no supervision. It was normal for country kids but that's because we knew what to stay away from and how things worked. I can understand her grandma not thinking much of it letting her go unsupervised. She didn't stop to think about how unprepared her grand daughter was for rural life. Sad all the way around

Living in the country or on farm land is not the same as living in a rural area or a city. Our kids go outside and play. They run all over the place. They go in the woods. They jump in streams. They play in fields. This truly sounds like a horrific accident. We can all say, "they should have"...but that's with the benefit of hindsight. I'm sure the man that killed her thinks a 100 times of day that he should have stopped and checked that the girl was out of the field. He's clearly extremely distraught and traumatized by what he did. The fact he went home and drank tells me he was in shock. The brain doesn't function well under extreme distress. Putting him in jail isn't going to punish him any more than he is clearly punishing himself. He's a 72 year old man and has to live what few years he has left with the image of that girl in his head.

This is such a sad story. I know everyone involved wish they could go back and do things differently. I’m a city girl but I know how dangerous farms are; Dr. Grande hit it on the head, what seems frightening to adults can cause curiosity in children. R.I.P little Sia!

Idk anything about Nova Scotia but it sounds like the area they were in was pretty rural. I spent a few years of my life in a very rural community in Tennessee, and I can not imagine either of these negligent individuals being charged there either. The culture is simply different. In an area like that, a 7 year old would be considered plenty old enough to know better…. And therefor no one would have expected the girl to be there

This story is disturbing. Traumatizing in fact! I feel that Morgan and Roland were both extremely careless. I feel sad for Sia, for the life she could have had.

He was most negligent by leaving her to bleed out while he got himself a drink! She lived to the next day. If he had tried to tie off her leg she might have lived.

What a tragic case.

I grew up on the farm. Most people where I grew up were farmers. Try telling them they should stop the tractor every time they see a child. Never happened. It's just how things are. People get used to being around such things. Unfortunately, that young girl was not used to it at all. And paid the ultimate price.

see a child in your mirror in this case, you stop immediately, make sure the child is out of the field then carry on with your job, to me its common sense.

I guess after viewing a lot of the Dr.Grande videos, my summary on how to live life is BE VIGILANT AND SOBER.

Excellent analysis Dr.Grande. Farms are no place for dogs never raised on farms and children too small to control them. Rest In Peace, Sia.

Weird comparison i guess however, i am reliant on a mobility chair and have 🐈 🐈 (a few kittens too) if i can't ascertain where they are while maneuvering through the house i will immediately stop the chair to be sure no cats are near. If one comes near whilst I'm driving, same thing - power off immediately to prevent harm to my pets. Personally, i can't imagine seeing a child (or adult, or animal) close to running farm equipment without shutting down the equipment until the person was safely out of the way. That being said, there was an incident early on in my use of the chair when i caught the fur of a cat's tail (thank God that was all) and a close call with another when it slunk under my chair in a blind spot. Now, ought i to mention how people in stores seem to think a scooter is as soft as a human and will stand directly behind one, or cross within inches in front of one while it's in motion? I digress. The guy, upon seeing this poor child, ought to have shut down the equipment and made sure he had the all clear before continuing to mow. Imho

I agree with Dr Grande that there was negligence but not criminal negligence. Farmers let their kids run around very freely. Farm kids would have been trained to stay away from farm equipment. The grandma probably just forgot that Sia did not know all the farm safety rules. The farmer across the road sounds pretty ornery, and no doubt dealt with kids only rarely. He probably expected Sia to run away once he'd spotted her. So both people could have done more due diligence, and both will suffer remorse to the ends of their lives. Very sad.

Thinking back, I was a kid on farm until the age of 11. We just learned very early there are farm machines, keep away from them specially when they are operational. She was living in the city had no concept of the danger.

Did Roland or anyone try to administer first aid, to stop the bleeding? That's what killed the girl, she bled out. The accident itself seems suspicious to me as well.

It’s all too common. I grew up with a girl who was badly disfigured by a riding lawn mower accident when she was 7. 🥺

I had a glass of whiskey in my hand last night, this indicates that I have been drunk every time I mowed my lawn.

This is a common accident, and these accidents do happen. Family members should have not allowed her to walk alone in the area (farm fields) she was not familiar with. This is very sad.

it's so sad that people get too comfortable in familiar situations that they relax about things they shouldn't. it's a hideous reminder to keep your eyes on children and make sure they're safe.

The failure to administer a breathalyzer or other method to determine his BAC was a critical mistake by the authorities. He claimed to not be drinking prior to the accident, and claimed to only have started on the one drink afterward. If the BAC results were significantly higher than that one drink, he would have been caught in a lie and it also would have corroborated his wife’s story that he was drinking prior to the accident. It may or may not be illegal to operate farm machinery while intoxicated on private property in this jurisdiction, but I would think it would cross into the realm of criminally negligent if it resulted the death of a child.

I can’t imagine why the girl would get anywhere close to such a big, loud and scary machine unless the dog got loose and was chasing after it. I hate that this beautiful and caring child found herself in this situation without knowing how to handle it. Ultimately, she most likely put the dog’s safety before her own in an attempt to rescue it. This is so heartbreaking. All of the adults failed her.

My thoughts exactly, Dr. Grande. There just aren't any winners or losers in this sad case where a little girl died. I think Sia's adults seriously failed her. She was a beautiful child with a beautiful name and she will always be missed by all who knew her. I just can't see where the retired gentleman can be held responsible. NS's court system ruled, I think, correctly. But I'm sad about what happened to little Sia.

Sad as hell.

This is so Heartbreaking My prayers and condolences to the family 🙏🙏

Roland was minding his own business on his property. The child was unsupervised, was small, didn't understand the danger, and could have run up from behind and been run over. No one knows what happened and it would be unfair to blame or charge Roland. Roland having a drink after is not evidence of having a drink before, silly to have said that. All of these people have to live with what happened, trying to punish them to extinguish our own anger is self-serving.

The comments saying, "Why did he drive home and not call 911 right away??" are interesting in that they show that many people nowadays cannot even conceive of the absence of a smartphone.

What a sad, horrific story. Im almost sure I won't be able to shake this depressing feeling for days or even weeks. The only thing I liked about this video is that Dr.Grande taught me a new word ''Contankerous". Im still learning English, and can't wait the first opportunity to use it in school. Thank you Dr. Grande.

When my son was 7 years old he mowed our 2 acres of yard on a yard tractor. He got on the tractor when the blade was up, then when he was safely in the seat his dad lowered the blade. The gas pedal had a wood extension on it so his feet rested on it. He was told to never get off the tractor while the blade was down. When he wanted to rest or was finished he drove to the barn and his dad raised the blade so he could get off the tractor. He earned $2 for mowing every Saturday.

The girls guardians are the ones criminally negligent, they allowed her to go off on her own unsupervised to a dangerous area.

Its funny seeing all the helicopter parents here who obviously never lived in a rural area. Before the internet, kids played outside, unsupervised everywhere. The vehicle operator is ultimately responsible, especially after he saw her in the field. What the mother saw was exactly the same as she would see had Cia been with her grandfather.

I suspect that he ran inside for that drink in order to cover for his earlier drinking. How awful that he left the scene with her dying. But I agree that she should not have been allowed to roam unsupervised. So sad.

Oh god that swimsuit photo of her and biscuit broke my heart. What a beautiful little soul.

What would testing for inebriation accomplish? Of course he was inebriated, he was drinking whiskey when the cops got there. That would only be relevant if you caught him at the scene being inebriated.

Very tragic story. I was wondering why she was behind him waving her arms. I thought maybe she was just being silly or wanting to ride in the tractor with him but your analysis that maybe the dog had gotten away from her is probably spot on. Its crazy that a grown man wouldn't think to immediately stop the tractor to explain to her how dangerous it was for her to be out there and make sure she got off his property safely. And the fact he didn't stick around to help afterward and went home makes me think that he probably was drinking and wanted to put off seeing law enforcement as long as possible. He might have even went straight home to make himself a drink so that when he did come face to face with any police officers he could say any alcohol he had in his system was from the drink he made when he got back home. Just a guess. I could be totally wrong.

Such a tragedy. I agree with your comments at the end. Cantankerous old man who wasn’t going to be interrupted by a little girl. Could have been completely avoided.

This story raises two questions 1)was the granny completely unaware of her cantankerous psycho neighbour and his penchant for stirring up trouble, 2) were the child and dog not VERY frightened of the monstrous noisy intimidating machine, which would normally have had the effect of shooing them off??

I can agree with you on the negligence being on both parties. I have a 6-year-old son that knows not to run off by himself, but that doesn't mean that I'm not tracking where he is at any given moment.

It's perfectly lawful, at least in the United States, to get falling-down drunk and operate a motor vehicle on your own private property. Also in most states, trespassing laws apply to cultivated land even in the absence of signs or fences. Sia's parents were responsible for keeping her off the neighbor's property, especially when he is running farm equipment, sober or inebriated, on his own cultivated land.

The mind has no safe place to dwell on this kind of senseless tragedy! Dr. Grande at least gives us as much clarity as possible.

This is so terribly sad. It's making me cry. Many people in the comments are relating how dangerous all farm equipment is. Such an adorable looking little girl, I know that doesn't matter. Innocent, visiting her Grandma and Grandpa on their farm. I knew it was going to be sad, but this is really bad.

This reminds me of a granddad that dropped his grand daughter from a cruise ship.

While tragic, he should not be incarcerated. Children need to be supervised at all times no matter how independent they seem. I've currently be trusted in a situation where I share a home with a special needs child and his parent loves to say how independent he is but the child is completely unable to take care of himself at 8 years old. He'll walk right out into oncoming traffic, I've been in the situation for less than a month and this child has almost been runover on 5 separate occasions. 2 times in the same day. Kids need supervision at all times.

Since when is it illegal to drink and drive on one's own property? The girl was trespassing. The girl was unsupervised.

An extremely sad 😭😭😭 story. Thank you 💕🥰 Dr. Grande, your voice is so soothing, I watch you before I go to sleep.

If I was operating heavy machinery and I saw a child I would immediately stop and make sure that the child was out of harms way. To even gamble with the possibility of killing a child is unfathomable to me. I would have walked her home myself to be sure.

Good gravy. If these 2 get charged, then both of my parent's would have been jailed, when I was accidentally run over by a yard tractor. I received an amputation of part of my foot. It has been a problem all of my life, but no way would I ever think my Dad did it on purpose. I was the same age when it happened...

He left her little body in the field and went home to drink? I get that he should not have to babysit a child that’s on his property without permission, but it seems like Rolland doesn’t have a caring bone in his body, before or after Sia was killed. What a nightmare for her family.

This is a hard one. Theres negligence on many parts, that when all aligned together, made for a horribly tragic, heartbreaking incident. If one thing wouldve happened differently, by even a few seconds, it may not have happened. Then again, theres a reason why they tell people not to get too comfortable doing things youve done for years. Accidents due to complacency. This was tragic on so many levels. This was an excellent episode, Dr. Grande.

Thank You, as ALWAYS, Dr. Grande! Enjoy your day!

Maybe I am confused. When you spoke about who is negligent you said Roland Potter and the GRANDMOTHER? Wasn't her father there as well? Shouldn't all the adults involve be held accountable?

That Poor Little girl! So very Sad!! For all of them! 💔🙏💔🙏💔🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️🧸🧸🧸

Such a horrific story. While it is clear mistakes were made and I can certainly empathize with the girl's parent's desire for some sort of justice, the grandparents and the guy driving the tractor are already going have to live with what happened for the rest of their lives. Creating more suffering is not going to change what happened and it will never erase the pain of losing their daughter. The criminal justice does not exist to punish people for honest mistakes no matter how horrific the consequences of those mistakes may be.

I never heard of this tragedy and that's a town away from me.

Hate to disagree with the RCMP, but unless something like a meteorite striking a child happens, there is always clearly someone at fault. Namely, whoever was in charge of the kid, and no, it can't be Biscuit.

That poor child was failed by the adults in her life, in so many ways. May Sia RIP. 💛💛

Ultimately, this is a very tragic accident with no one to blame directly. That being said, the grandmother should have been certain that the girl was aware of certain dangers in an environment she was unaccustomed to, and the farmer should have told the little girl she needed to be off the property while he was mowing.

How awful for that poor girl and her family.😢 Excellent analysis, Dr. Grande! ❤️

I think any reasonable person would have stopped and turned off the machinery as soon as they saw a child in the field. I disagree that the grandparents or parents are at fault. Most 7 year olds aren’t wandering off anymore when given clear boundaries and don’t need to be watched every second. They did fail to see the danger of her being in an unfamiliar area however.

Dr. Grande--well this tragedy did not make my day better. Thank you for your analysis. Rest In Peace Sia, and may the families have peace also. 💕from Jean

Well done - Dr Grande shows compassion and respect for all parties. I am always pleased to see that he never goes into “witch-hunt” mode. This was just a horrible tragedy. Sia likely put herself in harms way trying to save her grandmother’s dog. You have a negligent grandmother and a grumpy farmer, both could have taken different actions and Sia would still be with us today.

Very good analysis. I operate tractors in the hay field.

great video, thank you. I would have never heard about this otherwise

Your humour and insight is never bettered 💗

Firstly, a farm is a workplace. What's more, anyone that lives in a farm or has operated machinery knows that in a lot of cases is impossible to see what's around. If you see someone in the field, you have to walk to them and ask them out (there might be someone else around) I've been in a massive harvester machine and we almost run over a wild hog, and it was a huge one. Why they let her unsupervised into somebody else's field, it's beyond myself...

Terribly sad. Never leave a child alone. But hindsight is 20/20. Great sum up. I think the tragic result is enough of a punishment to be honest. To have to live with what's happened would not be easy and never leave a person unless they're seriously disordered.

This hurts my heart mind soul, I need to cry, pray, may God have mercy on the family forever. This is so preventable tragic I am sad so sad it's changed me. Sorry for all involved.

As soon as you said that Roland saw Sia waving her hands, that’s when I think he should have stopped the tractor, turned it off, gotten down and asked if she was okay. Then he should have told her to get completely away from the field he was mowing, explain how dangerous the machine was, and not continue to mow until he saw that she was far away….even if he had to walk her home himself. That’s my opinion. I would do the same if I was in my car and saw a child running up too close to it. I would absolutely not start driving away just because I didn’t see the child anymore and would never assume the child had gotten safely away from it. There are blind spots plus one should never assume.

Another great video, Doc!

How could he leave Sia there???