Mifflinburg Boy, 4, Dies After Farming Accident in Union County

Kaden Hans Reiff, 4 years old, of Mifflinburg died Monday at WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg as the result of a farming accident. He was born Dec. 27, 2021, to Eli M. Reiff Jr. and Karen Z. Reiff.

No further details about the mechanism of injury have been released publicly. Neither Pennsylvania State Police nor the Union County coroner's office had issued a formal statement as of Tuesday, and the family's obituary focused on memorial arrangements rather than investigative details.

Kaden's death reflects a documented and persistent danger to children on Pennsylvania farms. Penn State Extension's agricultural safety and health program recorded five fatalities among children age five and under in 2023, and three in that same age group in 2022. In 2024, 19 Pennsylvanians died from farm-related injuries statewide, seven of them in tractor incidents, at least five involving overturns. Florence Becot, who leads agricultural safety and health programs at Penn State, has identified manure pits, grain bins, and active equipment zones as the most acute hazards for children too young to recognize danger or anticipate the consequences of moving machinery.

The practical steps Penn State Extension recommends for farm families are straightforward but easy to defer: establish a fenced safe play zone well away from equipment paths and grain storage; remove and lock all tractor and ATV keys when machinery is not in active use; prohibit children under 14 from riding as passengers on any farm equipment; and assign one adult whose sole responsibility during any field or barn work is supervising children. None of those measures require new investment, only a deliberate family decision made before the next workday begins.

Penn State Extension's Union County office, at 343 Chestnut Street, Suite 3, in Lewisburg, is open Monday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can connect farm families with safety resources, consultation, and 4-H programming. Appointments outside those hours are available on request.

Visitation for Kaden will be held Friday, April 3, followed by a funeral service Saturday, April 4, both at a private residence in Lewisburg. Burial will follow at Vicksburg Old Order Mennonite Church Cemetery. Dominick T. Adamo Funeral Home in Mifflinburg is handling arrangements for the family.