Seattle- A Ferndale man is dead after a fatal accident at Blaine’s 4th of July parade Monday.
Mr. McKay died during preparations for Blaine’s annual 4th of July parade, officials said.
McKay was unloading an antique tractor from a trailer to show in the parade around 9am. The tractor ran him over and he died from the injuries, said Gary Goldfogel, Whatcom County medical examiner.
McKay’s family owned a large dairy farm in Ferndale and he was well-known in the community.
How does such an important community member lose his life in such strange circumstances? How does someone familiar with farm equipment, perish in such an unfortunate manner? After all, this wasn’t just any tractor (it was a parade tractor) and it wasn’t just any farmer (it was an experienced and well-known farmer). Did a mechanic fail to adequately perform brake service before returning the tractor to Mr. McKay? Did farmer McKay perform all of the maintenance himself? Did parade organizers require Mr. McKay, and other owners of vintage show tractors, to use a staging area that was unsafe because of unreasonable slope, or otherwise? Did a third-party start the tractor that set it into its fateful course? One thing is for certain: Show tractors should not harm people, whether it’s Mr. McKay, or someone watching along a parade route. When a community loses someone as valuable as Mr. McKay, questions have to be asked (and hopefully answered) if only with the goal of promoting safety in the community and especially at community events – like parades. This case is still under investigation.
At Bishop Legal, we represent clients who have sustained serious injury, or death, as the result of avoidable incidents. Please contact us for a free, no obligation, consultation at 1-800-291-1821 or 206-592-9000.
