ARARAT TOWNSHIP -- A family is devastated following a deadly crash that killed a 13-year-old boy in Susquehanna County Tuesday.
Christian Perrington was on a riding mower when he was hit near Thompson.
The coroner ruled Perrington's death accidental. He was supposed to start school Wednesday, but instead his family is left making plans to lay him to rest and the community is left grieving.
Perrington was killed while on a riding lawnmower not far from his home when a car heading south on Route 171 near Thompson hit the tractor, throwing Christian who died at the scene.
His parents said Christian was an outdoors kid who loved fishing, hunting and working on demolition derby cars. He was about to start the eighth grade.
"I got to know Christian. He was full of life, that's for sure," said Susquehanna Community School District Superintendent Bronson Stone. "We had a lot of good interactions. I can't imagine what his family's going through, such a great loss."
Counselors are on hand at the high school in Lanesboro where Christian finished the seventh grade last year. This year he was supposed to attend the NEIU in Lackawanna County.
"Everybody knows everybody. When you lose one child, like it is in any school, it's devastating," added Stone.
Christian's parents said he was about to start school this week but on this particular day, he was down the road at a neighbor's mowing the lawn or getting the mower fixed and was on his way home and struck on Route 171.
What makes this all the more painful for his family is Christian's mother posted to Facebook saying this is the fourth anniversary of his grandmother's shooting death at the hands of the boy's grandfather. Now his family is dealing with a loss, this time, a son and brother.
Troopers are still investigating the deadly riding mower crash. The family has a Go Fund Me account set up to help with funeral expenses.
