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Three Young Sisters Suffocate To Death In Mound Of Canola Seed While Playing In Back Of Grain Truck On Family Farm

By Tara West
Published on: 06:38 PST, Oct 15, 2015

Three young sisters are dead after a terrible accident on their family farm. The three sisters, 13-year-old Catie Bott and 11-year-old twin sisters Dara and Jana Bott, were playing on the back of a grain truck when they became buried beneath the giant mound of canola seed. The three girls suffocated under the grain before the adults present could pull them from the truck.

The Daily Mail reports that three sisters were killed in Alberta, Canada, after a terrible accident involving a grain truck. The three girls, 13-year-old Catie Bott and 11-year-old twin sisters Dara and Jana Bott, were on their family farm when they began playing on the back of a truck loaded with canola seed. The three girls reportedly became buried beneath the truckload of grain as they were playing in the back of the truck. Due to the nature of the seeds, which are incredibly tiny, the girls suffocated as the seeds entered their lungs.

According to CTV News, the older sister and one of the twins were pronounced dead at the scene. However, the second twin died after being transported to the hospital. The girls’ parents, Roger and Bonita Bott, issued a brief statement about the tragedy and used the time to thank the first responders who tried so desperately to save their three daughters. It was noted that the emergency crews performed CPR for two hours in a bid to save the children. Sadly, the efforts were in vain, and all three girls died. The grieving parents also touched on the fact that the “do not regret” raising their children on a farm and say the farm is their life.

“Our kids died living life on the farm. It is a family farm. We do not regret raising and involving our kids: Catie, 13, Dara, 11, Jana, 11, on our farm. It was our life.”

It is currently unclear exactly how all three girls were buried beneath the grain. However, it is known that prior to the accident the children were playing on the back of the truck. The family’s pastor, Brian Allan, says that the young girls died doing “what they loved,” and that the family’s farm is what bonded the Botts together.

“This is what they really loved to do. If there is something to be said for a family working together, (it) was the bonding.”

The community is now banding together to support the Bott family as they come to terms with the loss of their three beloved daughters. Meanwhile, police say they are still investigating exactly how the girls ended up in the back of the grain truck, but note it appears to be entirely accidental.

Ivan Dijkstra, deputy fire chief with Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Service, notes that the suffocation was the result of the exceptionally small grain size of the canola seed. Dijkstra says that if the grain gets in the lungs, it can block the flow of oxygen. The fire chief also went into further detail about the accident, noting that the girls’ parents were present during the ordeal and that the incident took place as the canola was being unloaded from the truck. The girls were subsequently buried beneath the grain during some point of the unloading process.

Health Services in the area says the tragedy will take an emotional toll on the first responders who were unable to revive the girls and that the community at large will be greatly affected by the tragic loss.

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