With farming season here, Merrill Loeppky, a War Amps regional representative, is reminding parents to pass on an essential and possibly life-saving lesson to their children – PLAYSAFE!
Merrill grew up on a farm in Manitoba, and at three years old, his curiosity led him to get too close to a grain auger, resulting in the loss of his right arm.
“Accidents can happen in a split second,” says Merrill. “I hope my story will prevent even just one child from being injured.”
The War Amps PLAYSAFE Program aims to make children more aware of the dangers in their play environment and believes that no one is better qualified to deliver the message than amputees, many of whom have lost limbs in accidents while at play, like Merrill.
“It’s important that families and educators help make kids aware of the dangers on the farm,” says Merrill. “Kids should never be near grain augers, tractors, lawn mowers or other ‘mean’ machines.”
The public can access valuable safety resources, including PLAYSAFE: Don’t Let It Happen to You, a video featuring young amputees who share their stories about how they lost their limbs in accidents, visit waramps.ca/playsafe.
