Barry And Kim Plath Open Up About Son Joshua's Tragic Death

Back in 2008, the Plath family endured an unimaginable tragedy when Kim accidentally ran over their 17-month-old son, Joshua. The dedicated matriarch recalled how she'd been moving trees in their Suburban at the time. Little Joshua passed away a short while later. The seismic event understandably rocked the close-knit family to its core, with Kim admitting she found it difficult to go on and wouldn't have managed without the support of her husband, Barry.

She has discussed her son's tragic death on their show, Welcome to Plathville, previously, of course. However, in the most recent episode of season 2, Kim and Barry opened up more than ever before about the long-term effects the heartbreaking loss of Joshua had on their family, as well as on her personally. Unsurprisingly, it was a real tearjerker of a moment, particularly for someone who's come under fire from fans for allegedly mistreating her children.

During the latest episode, Kim was working in the kitchen with her three youngest daughters when the question of what happened to Joshua came up. Kim explained, "Well, we had an accident on the farm, I was moving our vehicle and I looked, I saw him over there, he was okay, and I drove... and in that short amount of time he had darted towards the vehicle and I ran over him." The devastated mother added, "If there is one moment in my entire life I could live over and redo, that is it."

Speaking to producers, Kim admitted that it was the worst thing that's ever happened to her. She admitted, "I probably am my biggest accuser and that was a battle that I dealt [with] the first year that he died. I was pretty much just shut down." Thankfully, the Welcome to Plathville star acknowledged that the younger kids weren't around for it, so at least they were spared the guilt.

Kim noted that Joshua would've been 13 years old if he'd survived. Speaking to Barry, she recalled, "I just remember how sweet he was to hold... He would just lay his head on my shoulder sideways, and just kind of melt on to me. He was just real sweet." Her husband agreed, reminiscing, "He was a very good snuggler... you know that night before, that was my last night with him. We were reading and he was on my lap." Although 12 years have passed, Kim admitted it feels simultaneously like it's been forever and it happened yesterday.

The Welcome to Plathville stars planned to visit Joshua's grave, and although the effects of their loss are still keenly felt, Barry argued, "We can just celebrate that we had 17 months to just be with him, and he with us. It was short... some would say it's a premature departure, but we're happy to have had 17 months getting to know him... a special little guy."