By Neal Simpson 
The Patriot Ledger

Posted May. 28, 2015 at 2:20 PM
Updated at 2:26 PM 
 

ROCKLAND - Fire Chief Scott Duffey says a 7-year-old Rockland boy was hiding under a tarp when he was accidentally run over Wednesday by a construction vehicle operated by his uncle.

The boy, who Duffy declined to name, was rushed to a Boston hospital around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after he was hit by the Bobcat on a Webster Street lot used by Millenium Fence, a family-owned company that sells commercial and residential fencing. Duffey said the boy's injuries were to his arms and legs and were not life threatening.

Duffey called the incident "a tragic accident" and said the uncle, who he also declined to name, was "devastated" when he realized what had happened. "He initially thought he had killed his nephew," he said.

Duffey said the boy, a member of the family who owns the fencing business, was hiding under a tarp, "playing around as kids do," when his uncle drove a Bobcat over the tarp without knowing his nephew was underneath. He said the uncle heard the child's screams and immediately backed off.

Paramedics from Rockland's fire department initially requested a medical helicopter to take the boy to Boston, but medical flights were not operating because of bad weather and the boy was rushed in an ambulance to Children's Hospital in Boston.

Police said they were working with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state's Department of Public Safety to determine how the incident happened.