Police: Child killed after swing set collapses in Zumbrota, Minn.

ZUMBROTA, Minn. (KMSP) - Police in Zumbrota, Minnesota are investigating after a swing set collapsed, killing a 4-year-old child Monday morning.

Authorities say around 10:12 a.m., officers were called to a home where a 4-year-old child was fatally injured. The child was swinging on a swing set that collapsed on top of the child.

Officer Gary Schroeder said it was the most painful call he's responded to in his 19-year career.

"It was my worst call," he said. "It was a very traumatic injury."

Responders administered life-saving measures at the scene, but the child did not survive.

According to authorities, the swing set is made of "green treated," or pressure treated wood, meant to sustain the elements.

However, the swing set was still in the process of being built. As a result, the parents, who weren't home at the time, lost their only child.

Grandparents and an uncle were home supervising the child; it was a grandparent who made the call to 911.

"I have no way to explain why or how such a terrible thing would happen to anybody's family, let alone theirs," Schroeder said. "I hurt for them."

In Zumbrota, a town of 3,500, Schroeder said the community shares a strong sense of sadness and disbelief.

"I don't think it has truly set in yet," he said. "A lot of questions...as with any death, 'why?'"