Child safety groups are urging parents to be vigilant after a farming contractor on a roller accidentally ran over his 3-year-old son, who was killed.
Dayton Claude Isaacs had recently celebrated his third birthday and was with his father, who was working on a Waikato farm on Saturday night.
The
father was on a roller working on a farm race on a Te Kawa property about 20km south of Te Awamutu, when he lost sight of his son.
Not long after, Dayton was struck by the roller and suffered serious head injuries. His father tried to revive him but the toddler died of his injuries shortly afterwards.
Plunket national child safety adviser Sue Campbell said parents on farms faced various challenges with safety. "Parents do need to be aware that children do move fast, are interested and curious and often can't be seen around vehicles or anything that can move really ... children just don't have that awareness of the dangers.
"On farms you have all terrain vehicles, general farm equipment and chemicals in containers so it is much different to what we get in the cities."
Safekids national director Ann Weaver agreed. "If they are not in sight then don't move the vehicle is probably the message," she said.
Dayton's grandmother Sarah Yorke yesterday said he was a boisterous little boy whom she always remembered as being happy.
She said he was "very cheeky" and was adored by his whole family who "just really loved him".
"He loved his older brother Masyn, absolutely loved him, he loved his mum and he loved his dad, obviously they are not very well at the moment."
Police, the Department of Labour and the Coroner's office are carrying out inquiries into Dayton's death.
The tragedy was the second death of a child in the Waikato in the past two weeks.
Blake Fowlie, 11, was following his mother's vehicle from their Paeroa cowshed to their farmhouse when he pulled out into the path of an oncoming car on February 21.
Blake was airlifted to Waikato Hospital before he was transferred to Starship Hospital where he died in his mother's arms the following day. Ms Yorke said Dayton's funeral was to be held today at Te Tihi o Moerangi marae near Raglan.
