Yet another family tragedy - Farming family die in slurry pit in Northern Ireland

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Yet another horrific and devasting family beavement. Sad to see the male side of the family wiped out.www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2203871/Nevin-Spence-death-Rugby-player-died-slurry-pit-trying-save-father.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

This event has left me a emotional wreck (I married into a farming family) and feel so much compassion for the mum and family and wonder how on earth they will recover from this. Reading that they were such a devoted christian family and the parents were blessed with gorgeous and sucessful children....life seemed so good for them and just a second decision to enter a slurry pit and its over. Not just losing one member of the family but your best friend and two strapping sons. I'm guessing that the eldest boy worked as a partner on the farm.

Then you think about the future of the farm as its probably been in the family for generations, the animals, the hard graft the father and son put into making it a sucessful business - its all so so devastating.

This is a facebook page where people can leave messages.www.facebook.com/#!/pages/RIP-nevin-spence/505170359512592

Makes you realise that life is so fragile.

It's certainly a tragedy. If you're from a farming background could you explain to a layman what a slurry pit is and why it would be necessary to go into one in the first place? They're said to have been overcome by fumes which suggests that it's a dangerous environment.

It's very sad.

Not convinced that it's more heartbreaking based on the fact they were religious and good looking but yes very sad.

Cogito - According to various news sources the Father was trying to save the family dog and the two sons tried to rescue him when he got into trouble.

All for a dog. Such a waste.

So the farming equivalent of that hardy perennial of people who jump into the sea after the family pet and end up coming off worst? Split second bad decision with horrendous consequences.

Good god what an utterly terrible death.

awful. I still have a very real fear of slurry pits after a 'safety on the farm' film which we were shown quite a few times as children at school in the 70's. One child fell in and drowned. I have always thought it must be the most horrific death. Poor poor family.

Yes slurry pits are incredibly dangerous. But as with anything, the more familiar one seems the less dangerous it seems iyswim.

Sadly there have been many slurry pit deaths locally that I can recall.

It is truely sad. So many family members gone just like that. And how the situation could have been very different.

I cant imagine what the the family are going through now.

Cogito my DP is from a farming family. He said that walking across a slurry pit is a bit like walking across a frozen pond. They grow a sort of crust on top which presumably was enough to take the weight of the dog, but not the father. Once the seal is broken the methane that has built up underneath is overpowering enough to kill.

Horrible way to go, the poor family.

I imagine that it was a misplaced act of compassion for a living creature / four legged member of their family / valuable farm animal and not just a dog to them.

I don't have a dog and always feel sad when I hear of people dying trying to rescue their dogs when they've gone through ice / into cold water etc especially as often the dogs seem to escape unscathed.

My DH helped rescue a bullock from the Thames in mid winter while I stood by with the DC and told him to be careful. I agreed with him in principle, but still would have preferred the unfortunate creature to be rescued by the owner rather than have my DH put his life at risk.

I live in NI and this story has taken over the local new and radio. Of course because one son was a local rugby star has meant the story maybe got more airtime.
The men were overcome by the fumes, they are saying that the father chased after the dog down a tunnel kind of thing, so not really jumping into a pit. The danger is not about falling into a pit, but its the fumes that kill you.
So when the Dad didn't come back out of the tunnel the brothers went to help and didnt come back either.
I actually know the sister, who has been released from hospital - and she is a lovely girl, I just do not know how the family will get over this.

Also, there is a big farm to keep running - over 250 herd of dairy cows to milk twice a day! So while in normal circumstances the family would be grieving and have time to come to terms with the accident. On a farm life has to go on - the cows need millked, fed etc

Local farmers are all rallying round for now - but long term I dont know.

Bah...owner with tractor / proper equipment, not just wading in and hoping to pull it out by its long hair!

I always think that slurry pits look so bloody huge. Presumably they must be very difficult/impossible to make safe.

angel it must be awful, the farm isn't going to run itself, and the animals all need regular attention. As you say, the other farmers can't give up that much of their own time, long term. There is always something to do.

My grandparents / other family had farms, it is a long hard slog and they worked very long days with no holidays.

I went to school in N. Yorks, and can still vividly remember a police presentation to us about people drowning in slurry pits.

Oh thanks, angel that makes more sense.

My DP is also Irish and is really really cut up about this. I suppose he can relate to it more than me.

Religion is totally irrelevant. The poor mother losing two boys and a husband just hits on a very deep level. Many sympathies to all involved.

Nevin Spence was a fantastic up and coming rugby star. Fabulous player.
A tragedy for the family

Horrible thing to happen - all I could think of was the poor wife/mother. Very small silver lining is that the sister/daughter survived.

The older son left behind a wife and two kids. Absolutely devastating. Young children growing up without their father.

Terrible horrible tragedy.

That poor woman.

It is totally mind numbing here - NI is small - they usually say its about the same size as Yorkshire or something.
everyone kind of knows everyone, or someone they went to school with, or their friends.

So everyone feels they know this family, either because of Nevin and the Ulster Rugby connection (rugby is very big here, and the team and players are all given almost celebrity status), or because the sister who has survived worked in a local grammer school, or because they are farmers and that community is close.

I too, feel for the poor mother - she is only early 50s and the young children losing their Dad and Grandad and Uncle. I think they all lived on the farm, so really close family.
How could you go on looking out of your window at the farm which has destroyed your family?

What can you say, how awful. Can't imagine how those left behind are going to cope with this.

Very very sad for the family. The ambulance crew and emergency services apparently did a fantastic job with the sister, she wasn't breathing when they got her out. Heartbreaking for all those involved in the incident.

In modern milking stalls there are slats instead of old straw and mucking out. The slurry (wet poo) falls down the slats and this runs across a chanel to a pit. I would imagine the chanels are deep with a large pit. I have no idea of their system details thou. A tank is not a pit - these are usually plastic tanks above ground that are filled - these are deep.

The slurry is stored to break down and used as fertilizer. However while it crusts over underneath all horrible gases are being released which isnt a problem as the crust protects this gas from escaping. Once you put your foot in it you agitate it and hence the gases are released. These gases are leathal and there seems to be many deaths in northern ireland from breathing in these fumes as they dont smell. I think death is very quick.

Seeing that Nevin was trying to set up a facebook/twitter account to help publise the milk industry and think it only started on Friday (unsure facts here),he must of loved coming home and helping his dad out over weekends but know what much a struggle milk farmers have. He was highly regarded as a rugby player which is a great loss for Ulster. Religion in NI is much stronger than over here and their values and community are highly prized. Farming families are very close, they work together through thick and thin, its a hard life - some of the nicest people I have met since marrying my husband have been farmers, nothing false - honest workers (not all must add) love their animals including their dogs so it wasnt a thought of not retreiving it.

The farmer has a special relationship with his cows especially milkers and saddens me to think of the cows wondering what the hell is going on! It will be very difficult for the farm to continue plus living in a place where you know your family have died cant be easy to accept.

I think this tradegy will stick with me forever.

Very well said bacon.

This is shocking and sad news, really awful. Slurry pits are so dangerous.

Is there any way we can help this lady and her family?