Where do I start...........

[grinningghost]

Oh Steve, how awful! I agree, those vehicles are not toys, but what a terrible way to learn that lesson. Prayers for her family.

 

[TerriP]

Oh Steve, bless your soul. I couldn't do your job, not even for one day. The strength and courge it requires are enormous. I will pray for the youngster's soul, for her parents, and for all of you that work each day...to save us from ourselves.

 

[fireplug]

I thank you all very much. Your kind words are always helpful.

I waited 5 hrs before starting this thread, hoping it would help me post without too much emotion. It took me an hour just to type and retype it. Somehow putting it into words helps get through the anger and frustration. It has been a very difficult year and there seems to be no end in sight.

I would like nothing better than to not have to post a similar thread for a LONG time.

Unfortunately I just dont feel that is going to happen.

Give your little ones an extra hug and PLEASE think about keeping them safe even if it disappoints them, I guarantee they will get over being disappointed.

Steve

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I just hate hearing stories like this. All my friends think I am way too overprotective of my children, but I can't help it, their lives are mine to protect.
My husband worked in Pediatric Trauma at our hosp in the mid 90's before we had children and the horror stories he would tell me about what would come in there would make your hair curl! So many of them were avoidable accidents if parents had just used some sense. I think that is one of the reasons I am so darn overprotective of my 3.
My prayers are with that family.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Steve, I feel so bad for the family and for you. I can understand your anger. I think it is great that you can come here to let it out. You need to so that you can continue to do your job.

That said, how long until you think they will sue someone because they didn't take responsiblity for their own child's life?

 

[fireplug]

You guys are not gonna believe this

The ambulance crew on duty today got paged out for an ATV rollover with a teen NO HELMET luckily he was not seriously injured. Sometimes I am AMAZED at what parents are thinking.

Thanks again for all the thoughts they are appreciated

Steve

 

[Silky]

Originally posted by Towncrier
I think that perhaps these parents have been punished enough by the loss of their 9yo daughter.

You're right, Towncrier. I don't see how angry indictments of these parents for their negligence are constructive or helpful to anyone. We certainly can all learn from such needless tragedies, but who are we to stand in HOSTILE judgment of parents who made a terrible mistake? My DW and I are VERY safety conscious with our child, but we've still had a couple of close calls.

I can recall a similiar thread here over the death of an infant left in a sealed, hot car while her mother started a new job . This woman's horrible judgment led to her daughter's death. Some here chose to castigate and persecute her. Why??

 

[Disney Doll]

I think there's a difference between an unavoidable accident and negligence. Putting a young child on a motorized vehicle borders on negligent. Putting a young child on a motorized vehicle without proper safety gear is negligent. Perhaps because I couldn't have children,and would have considered a child the most precious gift of all is why I get angry when parents, whose duty it is to protect their child, don't do the basics required to protect their child. God knows you can't lock them in a box for their whole life, but you also don't need to put them into situations that will endanger them. A child riding a bike with all the protective gear on who gets killed by a car is a terrible accident, and not the fault of the parents. A child on a motorized vehicle without any safety gear is negligent on the parents' part. It may not be pretty (the truth seldom is), and the parents will pay the price of guilt for the rest of their lives, and for that reason I feel badly for them. It doesn't change the fact that they were not looking out for the best interests of their child when they put her on the vehicle with no safety gear.

We had a group of teenagers living on the street behind my house whose parents were having domestic difficulties. Maybe in an effort to make up to their boys with material things that which they were not giving them by way of a family life, they bought them motorized scooters, and a go kart. These kids used to ride these things all over the neighborhood. They were about 13 or 14 years old. I live on a corner, and just beyond the corner is the crest of a small hill. These kids used to come fllying out the side street next to my house onto the main road that I live on, and any car cresting that hill would not have seen them in time to stop. You wouldn' t believe the number of times those kids ended up dumped over swerving to get out of the way of a car. And, motorized scooters on a regular road in my town are illegal to boot! I would call the police, not so much because the scooters bothered me(although the noise they made was quite annoying) but because i was sure that one day one of those kids was going to end up lying dead on my front lawn after he got hit by a car cresting the hill just as he was flying out the side street after not looking or stopping for traffic. Finally, after several calls, the scooters disappeared. I don't whether the family moved, or the cops confiscated the scooters, or threatened the parents, or what. I was just glad that they were no longer driving around the neighborhood, because they were a tragedy waiting to happen.

The job of any rescue worker or healthcare worker isn't easy Steve, especially hard when you have to save people from themselves.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I will say a prayer for this little girls family. But I will also pray for you to have some peace about what happen. You have chosen to do something with your life that not many can do .I know sometimes when a child dies it effects you . My husband has had a few sleepless nights over those type of calls.

 

[J&D]

My BIL is also a fireman, and the worst call that he has ever had to go on involved an unsupervised toddler that had fallen into a large swimming pool full of algae. Since the pool was so dirty and full of algae, they weren't able to locate the child in time to save him. This happened when my sister was pregnant with my nephew, so it really hit my BIL hard. He will have to live with the memory of pulling that child's body out of the water for the rest of his life. I hope this story doesn't upset anyone. It is meant to be a reminder of the importance of watching kids closely, especially when they are near the water.

Steve, you are admired for your dedication to the profession.
Thank you for putting your life on the line in order to help save others.

 

[Silky]

Originally posted by Disney Doll
the parents will pay the price of guilt for the rest of their lives, and for that reason I feel badly for them.

It doesn't change the fact that they were not looking out for the best interests of their child when they put her on the vehicle with no safety gear.

I agree with you on BOTH counts. I'm just saying that there's no reason for anyone to spew venom at such parents after these tragedies.

 

[Mishetta]

What a terribly sad & tragic thread. I'm so sorry.

Prayers & PD, especially for YOU!

 

[fireplug]

Silky , you may have a very valid point. You should feel sorry for them.

I do not not think I spoke with venom "spewing" but maybe some of my comments were too strong.

So let put this into perspective

Do you get angry when you hear of a parent who abuses their child til they die?
Do you get angry when you hear of a parent who shakes their baby and it dies?
Do you get angry when you hear of a parent who does drugs while pregnant and delivers a crackhead baby?
Do you get angry when you hear of a parent who lets their children live in squallor with no food, while they sit on their butts in a tavern?
Do you get angry when you hear of a parent who leaves a handgun laying around and a child dies?


If you can answer no to all those then you are a much more sympathetic person then I.

For I see no difference in what those parents above are doing and those that place children in harms way on a motorized vehicle.

Steve

 

[Serena]

I just said a prayer Steve.

 

[cgcw]

I will also say a prayer for the little girl and her family. I feel for all of the professionals who have to deal with this on a daily basis.

 

[Silky]

Steve, there's a BIG difference between ABUSE and NEGLIGENCE. I know; I've reported families to the Department of Social Services in Massachusetts for both. The best way to protect children in these situations is to have them removed from a dangerous environment; calling their parents the scum of the earth doesn't solve the problem.

I recall that the Gores almost lost a son when AL let go of the boy's hand while crossing a street; the child was hit by a car and almost killed. NOT a case of abuse, but possibly a case of negligence. Should Al have been prosecuted or demeaned?? I think not. He felt badly enough over his mistake.

Parents make mistakes. At least my wife and I have. As I said previously, we're very careful but have still been lucky a couple of times. If our child had been killed in spite of our efforts, our pain would have truly been insurmountable.

 

[doxdogy]

That is so sad and tragic. We had a kid in our neighborhood that constantly rode his go-kart up and down our street. No helmut, nothing to protect him. I worried constantly that he would run it up underneath on of the cars on the street or another car would turn onto the street at the same time that we was at the end of the street. We finally called the police because the noise was starting to become a constant problem during the summer. Thankfully, he turned sixteen and got a license to drive a car.

 

[fireplug]

Silky , I am not talking about pure accidents here. If would be just as tragic for the parents had they taken the proper SAFETY measures.and waited till their child was old enough to properly operate a motorized vehicle, and she was killed. Then there would not be any anger. But these people did NOTHING to ensure their childs safety. That is NOT an accident. That IS reckless endangement of a child.

We will not see eye to eye on this, that is all there is to it.

Steve

 

[poohandwendy]

I agree with Silky (big shock to me,LOL)...there is no point in talking about the parents as if they are horrible people. I may feel differently if someone overheard them say they really didn't care if their child was hurt. But it sounds to me like they were ignorant about the dangers, but not abusive. I think they have paid enough of a price without the world casting judgement on them.

There, but by the grace of God, goes me. No, it may not be a motorized vehicle, but there are many ways for parents to make a bad call. What a tragedy. I will keep the family in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[poohandwendy]

When will people learn that motorcycles,atvs, go karts etc are not TOYS for CHILDREN.

maybe when the manufacturers stop targetting children in their marketing plans? Hopefully these will go the same direction that jet skis went here, boater safety license for all who operate them and noone under 16 can at all.