On September 12, 1994, 11,057 acres of bluegrass were burned in South Spokane County. Later that afternoon, the smoke arrived in Pullman and Moscow, not by accident, but as a result of the policy of grass growers in South Spokane County to intentionally direct their smoke south to avoid impacting residents of Spokane. Radio announcers in Pullman were warning people to take cover as the smoke clouds rolled in, blocking out the sun.
At 5:06 a.m. on September 13th, Aaron D. died at the Pullman hospital. The cause of death was listed as respiratory failure from an acute asthma attack. Two weeks before his death, his doctor had told him he was in great shape. At the time of his death, Aaron was looking forward to his upcoming marriage. After his death, his fiancee gave birth to the son he will never see.
In a letter, Aaron's father talked about his son and what happened to him. He wrote:
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"Aaron was born on Dec. 13, 1972. Died Sept. 13, 1994 at age of 21. Aaron was never a real strong boy, but he did enjoy athletics. He played soccer, baseball, and basketball and loved to ski. Aaron was a good swimmer, and he enjoyed most water sports. He went white water canoeing and rafting and water skiing. He enjoyed the outdoors and was a good camper and fisherman. He reached the rank of star in the Boy Scouts. He was an outgoing person who had a lot of friends. His favorite athlete was Michael Jordan. He was a Christian and I believe that he is in Heaven now. If I didn't believe that I will see Aaron again, I would sue the EPA for failure to protect the public from dangerous emissions leading to wrongful death, and then I would sue every person who burned grass for reckless disregard of other peoples right to live. Burning grass or stubble is an easy way to clean the fields and may add dollars to the bottom line, but it is illness or death to those with respiratory problems. Don't people have a right to live without breathing someone else's smoke?" Sincerely, David D. |