SHERIDAN, Mich. -- A night of candy and costumes turned tragic in Montcalm County Halloween night. An 8-year-old boy was killed when he fell off a trailer while trick-or-treating.
The accident happened on Eisenhower Street in the village of Sheridan. The boy was a 3rd grade student at Central Montcalm Upper Elementary School. People in the small community say the loss is felt throughout the town.
“The child fell off the wagon and the wagon rolled on him, the wheel did. It appears he was under the wheel,” says Philip VanDop, a Chaplin with the Sheridan Fire Department.
Michigan State Police say a group of trick-or-treaters were riding on a trailer being towed by a tractor. Just after 7 p.m. Wednesday night the young boy somehow fell off and was run over by one of the trailer tires. He was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries.
Central Montcalm School officials say they are offering grief counseling to help students deal with the loss.
“The school has their response team in place, there are several pastors, we are working with the Central Montcalm Upper Elementary and high school, and the churches and the people and the schools will all pull together," says VanDop.
Sheridan is a small, tight-knit community and the tragic death is hitting hard.
VanDop says Sheridan always has tractors pulling trailers of kids on Halloween and he doesn't believe the driver did anything wrong.
“He’s dealing with it as best he can. I think that any person in that situation would look and review and to see what they could do to avoid it, and there really isn’t anything that can be done,” says VanDrop.
Police say speed was not an issue and that alcohol was not a factor and it appears to be a tragic accident.
