Sheriff: Father, Son Electrocuted In Scott County Farming Accident

SAND CREEK TOWNSHIP, Minn. (WCCO) -- A father and son working together on a farm died together after a farming accident in Scott County on Sunday.

It happened at around 10 a.m. Sunday in Sand Creek Township on a family farm along Xanadu Avenue. The Scott County Sheriff's Office says the men were lifting a large piece of farming equipment when the wind blew part of it into a power line.

Their names have not been released yet, but the sheriff told WCCO's Nina Moini he hopes others will keep the family in their thoughts.

"It is one of the most dangerous professions there is due to unpredictable situations and environment you work in," Luke Hennen said.

Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen grew up about a mile from the family farm where a father and son lost their lives, working in the fields like any other day.

"It is a tight-knit agricultural community here so a tragedy like this impacts many people," Hennen said.

Hennen says the 53-year-old father and 25-year-old son were moving an auger. The farming equipment struck a nearby power line and the men were electrocuted.

Another family member later found them.

"Upon arriving at scene deputies and EMS began efforts after finding parties both unresponsive without pulses," Hennen said.

"Like in every small-town community with a tragedy like this, people are gathering around and sharing stories, trying to deal with the tragedy as they can," Hennen said.

While the family is asking for privacy, Hennen hopes the accident will remind others of the hard work of farmers everywhere, and the ways everyone can help.

"Being aware of your surroundings and also this time of year with the harvest going on also as people travel on our roadways to be wary of other slow-moving vehicles, other agricultural equipment that is in our roadways," Hennen said.

The Scott County Sheriff's office is investigating the accident. The sheriff says he thinks the men just thought they had more room than they actually had and the wind Sunday may have also made a difference.