Long-time employee sustains injuries in a tractor accident
Occupational Health and Safety officials in Prince Edward Island are investigating the death of a long-time employee at a farm on the island, according to a report.
Carter Affleck, 68, died in an incident while he was working for Morell-based Jasper Wyman & Sons.
"We are heartbroken to confirm that a longtime Wyman's employee passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Sept. 23, following injuries sustained in a tractor accident while conducting routine field work at our Prince Edward Island operation," Wade Dover, general manager of the company, said in a statement according to a CBC report.
Police found the man's body in a field in Head of Cardigan, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Cpl. Gavin Moore said, according to the report.
Once they determined the death had no criminal aspect, they handed the investigation over to the Workers Compensation Board of PEI's Occupational Health and Safety division.
The division has confirmed that it was a work-related death and it is investigating.
"The WCB extends its sincere condolences to the deceased's family, friends and coworkers on the loss of their family and community member," the board said in a statement to CBC News.
In the same report, Dover said that the employer’s management team has met personally with the employee's family following the incident.
“We have arranged grief counselling and additional support services for all Wyman's employees as we process this tragic loss together,” he said.
"The circumstances that led to the accident are not fully clear, but we are working closely with local provincial authorities to understand the facts of this tragedy," Dover added.
The family-owned company grows wild blueberries and then freezes them for the retail market, according to CBC.
