Inset clockwise from top: The unnamed child victim, Kelly Tester, and Austin Tester (Bristol Police Department). Background: The scene of the overturned tractor in Bristol, Va. (Bristol Police Department).
When a father in Virginia riding a tractor with his 3-year-old son flipped it and trapped the boy underneath, the man and his own mother waited more than 20 minutes to call for help, authorities say.
Austin Tester, 21, and Kelly Tester, 41, have been charged with felony homicide in the death of the man's son, as well as felony child abuse and neglect, the Bristol Police Department in Virginia announced. Kelly Tester also faces a charge of obstruction of justice.
On April 23, Austin Tester was at an area in the 100 block of Davis Alley in Bristol, with his son, police said in a press release. He was driving a farm tractor with his son "seated on his lap" when the tractor "overturned" onto the boy.
Authorities allege that Austin Tester contacted his mother, Kelly Tester, at about 11:17 a.m. that day "prior to contacting emergency services." She arrived within minutes, but neither of the two adults called 911 for emergency help, according to police.
Instead, the pair allegedly waited 22 minutes before the first 911 call was made, and emergency responders did not arrive until 31 minutes after the crash.
Austin Tester reportedly fled the scene as authorities made their way there.
As police and emergency services arrived, they "worked together to physically lift the tractor, allowing emergency medical personnel to remove the child and immediately begin life-saving measures." Though the boy was moved to an area hospital, he "succumbed to his injuries."
An autopsy indicated preliminarily that the cause of death was asphyxiation, the police department said.
"Investigators have determined that the delay in contacting emergency services significantly impacted the ability to provide timely lifesaving measures," according to the press release.
Police maintain that Tester had an outstanding probation violation "stemming from a prior drug-related offense," which he allegedly stated was the reason for him leaving the scene.
Officers began searching for him, and they learned that he was at a residence belonging to his mother in the same city. Kelly Tester reportedly "was found to have provided false information to law enforcement and assisted in concealing him."
Bristol Police Chief D. Byron Ashbrook addressed the case in a statement.
"This is a heartbreaking and tragic incident," the police chief said. "Our thoughts are with the family during this incredibly difficult time. This investigation revealed a significant delay in contacting emergency services, which is deeply concerning. Incidents like this also affect the first responders who are called to act quickly in critical situations."
Austin Tester was arrested and booked in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority without bond; Kelly Tester was arrested and placed in the Abingdon Facility of the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, also without bond.