Grieving father defends Take Our Kids to Work Day, despite son's death
What was supposed to be a day of fun and learning for students and an opportunity for bonding between children and parents turned into a tragedy Nov. 2 when two Ontario teens were killed while shadowing their parents on Take Our Kids to Work Day.
Peter Fulbrook, father of Rob Fulbrook, one of the teens who died, told his son's principal that Rob had been having "the time of his life" while shadowing his father at the facility where he had worked for 20 years. Rob Fulbrook and Amanda Peat, both 14, were killed when the utility vehicle they were driving slammed into a parked tractor-trailer at the John Deere Welland Works facility near St. Catharines.
"Here's a man who's just lost his child, who can reflect on how wonderful an experience his son had," said Brian Baty, Rob's principal at E.L. Crossley Secondary School in nearby Fonthill, Ont. Baty said that the older Fulbrook's courage and said his words "were so supportive of what my job is to do here, helping 1,100 kids and staff grieve."
The flag at the school is flying at half-mast, and students were leaving flowers and mementos at the flagpole, Rob's locker, and on his desk. "Words can't express the degree of grief and shock over this," said Baty, who called Rob "a very, very likable young man who showed an awful lot of hard work and caring for people in terms of his all-too-short life."
A similar scene played out at Amanda's school, Niagara District Secondary School in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake. Principal John Watson said her friends will perform a memorial to her as part of the school's Remembrance Day ceremonies.
According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle driven by Rob and Amanda, known as a Gator, wedged about one-third of the way under the tractor trailer. Employees ran to the accident scene and rescuers arrived quickly. The two young people were pronounced dead at a local emergency room.
Niagara Region police are attempting to learn how Rob and Amanda came to be driving the six-wheel Gator utility vehicle, who was actually driving the vehicle, and whether they had permission to do so. In Ontario, a driver's license is not required to operate an all-terrain vehicle on property owned by the registered owner of the vehicle, and helmets are not required under the same circumstances.
Saying that he was "no traffic reconstruction expert," Niagara Constable Richard Brouwer added, "It's not like the rear end of the thing kicked out or anything. It just looks like they just drove right in there."
Ontario chief coroner Dr. James Young said that autopsies on Rob and Amanda were performed Thursday in Hamilton, adding that a coroner's inquest into the tragedy is possible. The inquest would focus on safety issues surrounding the practice of job shadowing. Saying that there are benefits to taking kids to work, Young added, "Clearly one of the things we've got to do if we're going to take kids to work is ensure their safety."
John Deere chairman and chief executive Bob Lane issued a statement Thursday that was distributed to employees around the world, which described the crash as an "incomprehensible" and "unthinkable" tragedy. "No words can adequately address the pain of the families of these children," said Lane. "This tragedy must serve to reaffirm our uncompromising commitment to safety at all John Deere facilities. This accident will be thoroughly investigated to ensure that no similar tragedy will occur in the future."
Some 400,000 ninth grade students in Canada visited more than 75,000 workplaces in every province and territory Wednesday for the seventh annual Take Our Kids to Work Day. The event offers students a glimpse into the work world and encourages them to stay in school.
"It's a very sad situation, I don't even know how to respond other than to say that it was an accident that obviously put two children at risk," said Ontario Labor Minister Chris Stockwell. Members of the Ontario legislature stopped business for a minute's silence Wednesday after learning about the accident. Stockwell said the government plans to investigate the accident.
An emotional Stockwell offered the government's condolences to the families, while outside the legislature, a teary-eyed Education Minister Janet Ecker said: "I think everybody's hearts go out to the family, it's an absolute tragedy whenever a young person dies."
By Sandy Smith
Managing Editor, Safety Online
E-mail: ssmith@verticalnet.com