BrerMom
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A safety device already standard on some cars might have saved Mitchell Johnson's life.
The 11-year-old Danville boy died Tuesday after his neck became trapped by a power window.
Wednesday, a reserve police officer who tried to revive the boy, as well as the founder of a national advocacy group for child safety, said the tragedy was avoidable.
"This is such a no-brainer," said Janette E. Fennell, founder of Kids 'N Cars, a project of the San Francisco-based Trauma Foundation. "They should have an auto reverse on the power window."
The tragedy occurred when Mitchell, a fifth-grader at South Elementary School in Danville, grew bored and left a school musical program at which his brother, Elijah, 10, was performing.
Authorities said Mitchell asked his mother, Sheila Johnson, for the car keys so he could get his basketball.
About 20 minutes later, she found him inside the car with his neck caught in the window of the driver's-side door. The doors were locked and the key was in the ignition.
Michael E. Masters, a reserve deputy for the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department, was parked nearby.
"A woman was jumping around yelling for someone to call 911," he said. "We rushed over."
Just before Masters and his wife got to the car, they saw the mother rip the window out with her bare hands.
"We see a lot of things out here on the street, but you are never prepared to try to rescue a kid," Masters said. "We tried. At least, someone tried."
Rescuers pulled the boy out of the car and tried without success to revive him. He was pronounced dead at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville.
Investigators haven't determined how it happened.
The accident has shocked this quiet Hendricks County community and has left those who knew Mitchell deeply saddened. They remembered him as a jokester who loved to play basketball.
"When I was down, he could always say something to make me laugh," said Sheila Johnson. "He was a dear, sweet, intelligent boy."
Neighbors in the Clear Creek subdivision on Danville's westside gathered at the Johnson home to offer support and field numerous calls from friends.
"He was always funny, always there for a laugh," said neighbor Kathy Turner.
Classmates at South Elementary, where Mitchell played on the fifth-grade basketball team, learned about the incident when they arrived at school Wednesday. Grief counselors were on hand.
"We are absolutely devastated," said John McKinney, superintendent of Danville Community Schools.
But many believe the accident could have been prevented with the auto reverse device.
Masters, the reserve deputy, is a technical specialist for American Trans Air and said such devices are pretty basic.
"All they have to do is install a pressure switch on the electric motor," he said.
The family previously had problems with that window sticking, Hendricks County Deputy Coroner Steve Matthews said.
Fennell, of Kids 'N Cars, said 43 deaths like Mitchell's have occurred nationally since the 1960s. Last May, her group urged automakers to modify their power-window systems.
"They blame the parents, and it is just not true," Fennell said. "It is not parental neglect. This little boy didn't have to die."
A spokesman for General Motors, which made the family's 1998 Buick Regal, denied responsibility for Mitchell's death. Jay Cooney, manager of safety communications, said GM's Cadillac models have an automatic reversing device on power windows. The Johnson vehicle was not a Cadillac.
Cooney said Mitchell's case, though tragic, comes down to personal responsibility.
"You just don't leave your kid unattended in a vehicle. A car is not a playground or a baby sitter."
Mitchell's other survivors include his father, Robert Johnson, and his sister, Tara, 5.
www.indystar.com
The 11-year-old Danville boy died Tuesday after his neck became trapped by a power window.
Wednesday, a reserve police officer who tried to revive the boy, as well as the founder of a national advocacy group for child safety, said the tragedy was avoidable.
"This is such a no-brainer," said Janette E. Fennell, founder of Kids 'N Cars, a project of the San Francisco-based Trauma Foundation. "They should have an auto reverse on the power window."
The tragedy occurred when Mitchell, a fifth-grader at South Elementary School in Danville, grew bored and left a school musical program at which his brother, Elijah, 10, was performing.
Authorities said Mitchell asked his mother, Sheila Johnson, for the car keys so he could get his basketball.
About 20 minutes later, she found him inside the car with his neck caught in the window of the driver's-side door. The doors were locked and the key was in the ignition.
Michael E. Masters, a reserve deputy for the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department, was parked nearby.
"A woman was jumping around yelling for someone to call 911," he said. "We rushed over."
Just before Masters and his wife got to the car, they saw the mother rip the window out with her bare hands.
"We see a lot of things out here on the street, but you are never prepared to try to rescue a kid," Masters said. "We tried. At least, someone tried."
Rescuers pulled the boy out of the car and tried without success to revive him. He was pronounced dead at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville.
Investigators haven't determined how it happened.
The accident has shocked this quiet Hendricks County community and has left those who knew Mitchell deeply saddened. They remembered him as a jokester who loved to play basketball.
"When I was down, he could always say something to make me laugh," said Sheila Johnson. "He was a dear, sweet, intelligent boy."
Neighbors in the Clear Creek subdivision on Danville's westside gathered at the Johnson home to offer support and field numerous calls from friends.
"He was always funny, always there for a laugh," said neighbor Kathy Turner.
Classmates at South Elementary, where Mitchell played on the fifth-grade basketball team, learned about the incident when they arrived at school Wednesday. Grief counselors were on hand.
"We are absolutely devastated," said John McKinney, superintendent of Danville Community Schools.
But many believe the accident could have been prevented with the auto reverse device.
Masters, the reserve deputy, is a technical specialist for American Trans Air and said such devices are pretty basic.
"All they have to do is install a pressure switch on the electric motor," he said.
The family previously had problems with that window sticking, Hendricks County Deputy Coroner Steve Matthews said.
Fennell, of Kids 'N Cars, said 43 deaths like Mitchell's have occurred nationally since the 1960s. Last May, her group urged automakers to modify their power-window systems.
"They blame the parents, and it is just not true," Fennell said. "It is not parental neglect. This little boy didn't have to die."
A spokesman for General Motors, which made the family's 1998 Buick Regal, denied responsibility for Mitchell's death. Jay Cooney, manager of safety communications, said GM's Cadillac models have an automatic reversing device on power windows. The Johnson vehicle was not a Cadillac.
Cooney said Mitchell's case, though tragic, comes down to personal responsibility.
"You just don't leave your kid unattended in a vehicle. A car is not a playground or a baby sitter."
Mitchell's other survivors include his father, Robert Johnson, and his sister, Tara, 5.
www.indystar.com
