News Story - Idaho State Journal

OREM, Utah (AP) - After a weekend in Idaho, Laura Harris found a surprise in her backyard: fresh sod, sprinklers, fire pit and a sandbox dedicated to her 5-year-old son.

On Nov. 2, Brett Harris was killed when a 100-pound slide pinned him to the ground.

Harris clasped her hands to her mouth when she arrived Monday night.

''I love it! I love it!'' she said to a group of volunteers. ''I absolutely had no idea. ... Every time I look out the back door I will feel love.''

More than 100 people worked on the project, including members of the Orem High School wrestling team.

Brett was swinging on a nylon rope attached to the slide when it tipped and landed on his neck. The slide was not anchored at the time because of landscaping work.

''We don't want (the yard) to look like it did before Brett died,'' said Andrea Crocket, a family friend.

Brett's father, Steve Harris, was aware of the project because he needed to get Laura out of town.

''I don't think my wife would let them do anything to the inside of the house without her here,'' he joked.

This document was originally published online on Friday, November 30, 2007

Article Rating

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of our paper.

Submit a Comment

Commenting Rules

We encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.

Report a Comment

Report a comment for review to the ISJ web staff.