Inside The Sad Death Of Kim And Barry Plath's Son, Joshua
Welcome to Plathville is a TLC reality series that centers on the ultra-conservative Plath family — Barry and Kim Plath and their nine children; Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia, and Mercy, as well as Ethan's wife, Olivia. The entire Plath clan works on the family farm in Georgia, and their life strongly revolves around their faith and Christianity. The Plath children have to follow strict rules set by their parents, including staying away from technology and sugary drinks. The kids "have never had a soda, don't know who Spiderman or Tom Brady is and have never watched TV," according to TLC.
The result of Barry and Kim's rules has led to some family estrangements, especially concerning Ethan, Olivia, Moriah, and Micah. Sadly, that hasn't been the only strife the clan has faced — when he was just 17 months old, Barry and Kim's son, Joshua, passed away. The weight of his loss still affects the family, with Kim opening up about the painful incident in a forthcoming blog post.
Here's what we know about the tragic death of Barry and Kim Plath's son, Joshua.
Joshua Plath died in a tragic accident
Barry and Kim Plath, stars of the TLC reality series Welcome to Plathville, sadly lost their 17-month-old son, Joshua, in the fall of 2008 after he got injured in a farming accident. Kim opened up about the tragedy during an episode of the show and said that when moving fruit trees on the farm, she accidentally hit Joshua with her car, according to Woman's Day. "I had just seen him and I thought it was okay," Kim recalled, per the outlet. "But I ran over him." Paramedics tried to save him while the rest of the family cried and prayed, but he did not survive, Kim explained.
Although it was an accident, Kim — who was pregnant at the time of the accident — said she could barely cope for the next couple of months, calling it "hell on earth" in a blog post she had shared on the family website. "I woke up every morning and functioned. But just barely. I wanted to die," she wrote. "My husband was dealing with losing his son and his wife. I was gone. Checked out. Unavailable for conversations or reality." She said her husband never blamed her for what happened and was extremely supportive. "I thought of the accusations I would have thrown at Barry if the situation had been reversed," Kim wrote. " He never even hinted at anything like that. He was strong. He just loved me."
The family eventually got through the terrible time, although it's still an understandably hard subject.