He almost lost his leg

There is a member of our Church that lives about 90 miles away that owns land that used to be a Scout Camp.  It is a pretty small camp but the previous Scoutmaster used to take these boys up there each month to camp.  There would preform a small service and they would get all the firewood they could burn.  In order for the boys to come, they must also sign one of his wavers to release him of all liability.  They never put up tents.  They brought their cots and slept on the old covered dinning area.  The Scoutmaster didn't come on this campout.

In this photo you will see the front loader the owner of the land was using to haul the trees he trimmed.  He told the Scouts they could sit in the front of a scoop and ride until they get to the place where they could unload.  We told the boys they could not.  We told them that it violated the Guide for Safe Scouting.  The boys didn't listen and the member of the Church told them they could and should sit in the bucket.  We assured the boys that they shouldn't.  The member insisted that they should.  This is where I should have physically removed them from the bucket or stepped in front of the front loader and not let him leave.

As the member pulled away with boys in the front of his bucket, he turned around to watch his flat bed and ran the front loader into a tree.  The boy in the bucket closest to the tree that was hit said he barely moved it in time to not have his leg severed from his body.  He still claims now he was fine and would have never been hurt.  Here is what the tree looked like.

I don't know how I would have lived with myself if this had actually happened.  The Lord re-taught me a lesson this day.  If it doesn't feel right, no matter what anyone else says don't let it happen.  Be forceful and make sure I put myself physically in the way to make sure it doesn't happen. 

We haven't been back to that campsite since.