(DCWatchdog.com) – In a dramatic turn of events, a school field trip to an orchard turned into a tragic situation for families in Chippewa Valley.
First responders in Chippewa County were called to Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in the Town of Lafayette.
Deputy Chief Cory Jeffers from Chippewa Fire District said, “We got dispatched for a tractor accident involving two hail wagons with kids and adults.”
“One of the wagons began to lose control as it was descending on a hill,” explained Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes. “They attempted to stop the wagon from descending down the hill, sideways and it abruptly overturned.”
In turn, Jeffers stated that 25 people were injured, while Hakes confirmed three had life-threatening injuries, five were seriously hurt, and nine were taken by ambulance. One was flown by helicopter. Fortunately, no one died.
“It’s a parent’s greatest fear that something happens to their children, especially when they’re, you know, young like that,” Hakes said in a press statement. “I can tell you that the children were extremely brave, very resilient, extremely brave and very proud of every one of those kiddos.”
Moreover, first responders initiated a mass casualty protocol, which is used when an incident requires more resources than they have available.
“We do not have enough resources inside the district to cover that. Even bringing in our outside agencies, that’s overwhelming us. That puts extra manpower on,” Jeffers explained.
He added, “It’s nerve-wracking having kids that age, but it’s what we trained for. It’s what we do for a job. So, everybody was on high alert. Everybody was professional and did a great job treating the patients and getting the job done.”
Hakes assured the public that all children were safely reunited with their families. Student Transit arrived at the orchard to pick them up.
Dan Lea, Senior Communications Specialist with Mayo Clinic Health System, confirmed that Mayo’s emergency response teams were among those mobilized to respond to the incident.
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