Schuyler Six's death from falling steel not a criminal case

Police say the weekend death of a nine-year-old Hamilton boy after a piece of steel fell on him at a Hamilton industrial site is not "criminal in nature," and will now be investigated by the provincial government.

Schuyler Six's tragic deathSunday "has been deemed not suspicious or criminal in nature, and has been turned over to the Ministry of Labour," Hamilton police spokeswomanDebbie McGreal-Dinning told CBC Hamilton.

Ministry spokesmanMatt Blajersaid the industrial site had been cordoned off, but was released by police late Monday night, so inspectors haven't yet had a chance to properly investigate the area.

"Right now I have no information," he said.

Smiling is contagious. He was that type of kid that when he smiled, you smiled too.- Mark Fraser, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School principal

Six, who was believed to have been with his father, was struck in the head by the falling piece of steel Sunday afternoon, Hamilton EMS officials said. He died atHamilton General Hospital.

The incident took place around 1:45 p.m. at Ralm Industrial Millwrights Inc., on Imperial St., near Sherman Avenue North and Burlington Street East, according to workers near the scene.

Blajer says the investigation now falls under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which deals with provincial offences, not criminal offences.

If any charges are laid after an investigation under the act, the maximum fine for a corporation is $500,000. The maximum fine for a person is $25,000 and up to a year in prison.

A team of social workers is still at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Hamilton to help grieving students try to make sense of the death of their Grade 3 classmate. The board calls in the team of trained social workers whenever there is a tragic death among students or staff.

"I don't think anyone can comprehend or imagine what Schuyler's family is going through right now," said Mark Fraser, the principal at the school. "I just can't imagine."

The boy's sister is a kindergarten student in the same school, Fraser told CBC Hamilton. The school has reached out to the family "just to let them know we're thinking of them," he said.

"Smiling is contagious. He was that type of kid that when he smiled, you smiled too," Fraser said.

"The kids are really going to miss him."