Ranch Accident Leaves Local Man Paralyzed
A farming accident involving a falling bale of hay has left Charles E. Lum with severe spinal injuries.
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Charles E. Lum received serious and perhaps lasting injuries from a fall at his home near this city this Thursday afternoon. Mr. Lum was loading hay and was knocked from his wagon by a bale which fell from the pile above. He fell backward, his neck and shoulders striking on a pile of lumber. The nerves of the spine were so injured as to cause almost total paralysis of the lower limbs and hands. Dr. F. M. Crosby, who was called to attend the injured man, reports that the injury is of a very serious nature but he is unable yet to determine whether or not the paralysis will be permanent.
“The nerves of the spine were so injured as to cause almost total paralysis of the lower limbs and hands.”
Farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the Pacific Northwest, though modern safety regulations and equipment have significantly changed the risk profile since 1915. The reliance on manual labor for hay stacking often led to catastrophic accidents in early Kennewick's agricultural economy.
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