Minn. 9-year-old helped his sister escape rollover before his death

Jon Thomas Dingwall died the way he lived – by putting another person’s well being before his own.

Jon, 9, was driving a utility vehicle north of Millerville on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 17, when it rolled on the slope of a hayfield, pinning his sister, 10-year-old Taylor Dingwall .

Taylor later told Douglas County sheriff’s deputies that Jon was able to shift the UTV and free her, but in the process the UTV fell and trapped Jon underneath.

A 911 call was placed about 4:20 p.m. reporting the rollover in a hay field near Gravel Pit Road NW. A deputy was able to free Jon and, along with first responders from Millerville and Brandon, begin CPR.

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Life Link III helicopter arrived and landed in the hay field. Jon was flown to Hennepin County Medical Center, but his life could not be saved.

However, Jon’s heart valves were donated, saving two other lives, according to Kim Dingwall, his grandmother.

The siblings are the children of Jon and Kami Dingwall. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Dingwall family and can be accessed at  www.gofundme.com/jon-dingwall-memorial-fund .

A celebration of Jon’s life will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Brandon High School gymnasium.

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A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at Grace Lutheran Church in Brandon with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m.

A second visitation will be held at the Brandon High School Gymnasium for one hour prior to the celebration of life on Saturday.

Taylor was transported to Douglas County Hospital by North Ambulance and later flown by Life Link III to the St. Cloud Hospital, where she was treated for a broken leg. She was released on Sunday, Aug. 20, according to her grandmother.

The two were on a Polaris Ranger XP side-by-side UTV and were not wearing helmets or seat belts, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources regulations, children under age 10 can only drive an off-road vehicle with a parent or guardian present on private property. A helmet is required.

For more on DNR regulations, visit  www.dnr.state.mn.us/regulations/ohv/youth.html

Echo Press reporter Celeste Edenloff contributed to this story.