6-Year-Old Dies in Wood Chipping Tragedy
Jeffrey Bourgeois, 6, was helping his father with a landscaping project over school break when a wood chipper pulled him into the machine, killing him instantly. The news has shaken his small community in Connecticut.
According to Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, Jeffrey was loading a branch into the wood chipper when the machine pulled him in. He was killed instantly, and his father, Scott, called rescuers to help. Vance told the Associated Press that those who responded to the call were so stricken that grief counselors were dispatched to the scene as well.
Jeffrey's father, Scott, owns C&S Tree Removal; his children often help him with jobs.
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"This little guy was apparently trying to help his dad," Vance told AP. "It's a very tragic and difficult scene for everybody."
Even though the school Jeffrey attended is on break, administrators are opening the doors for students to receive counselors.
"We're sort of all in shock," said Superintendent Kaye Griffin. "The teachers and the board are quite upset."
Jeffrey is remembered as a good student who was honored with a "Caught Being Good" award in December. The entire community of 4,000 is pulling together to offer support for Jeffrey's family. He has two older siblings who all live with their father, Scott.
Salem's fire chief, Eugene Maiorano, is also a neighbor of the Bourgeois family and told WTNH-TV, "We're getting counseling for the family. The family lives right across the street from me, so I was the first on the scene … saw that we had to keep everybody away."
"This was a Salem family, very good family in town, a well-known family," said Salem First Selectman Kevin Lynden. "Our hears and prayers go out to them. [It's] a very, very sad day for our Salem residents."
