Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If that happens, and someone is killed, the person that was distracted is charged. It doesn't matter if they were remorseful, or had things on their mind.
I agree and said in an earlier post that I understand when they're charged with negligent homicide. But you rarely hear the diatribes against people who are negligent other ways that result in death the way you hear it about people who leave their children in the car. It's generally recognized as an accident--which necessarily means a lack of intent-- with terrible consequences.
Unacceptable or not, it happens. Just like people forget and leave the door open when they have a pool in the backyard. And they get distracted and run stop signs and red lights. And they fail to look behind their SUV before they get in and back up. We have ALL done these things, but 99.9% of the time, nothing bad happens and we don't even realize we've done it. But sometimes circumstances converge and result in tragedy.
Don't you have any "near miss" stories? I know I do.
no, not with my children I dont, sorry to dissapoint you.
no, not with my children I dont, sorry to dissapoint you.
Wow. Do you keep your kids on leashes or in bubble wrap? Or both?
No child darting into the street, where thankfully there was no traffic? No child falling and hitting his head, but thank goodness the corner of the furniture only scraped the side of his head and didn't hit his eye? No child bursting into laughter with food in his mouth but managing to spit it out before he choked?
I could keep going but there are hundreds of near misses bringing up a child, or maybe that's 100s every day. Most of us get lucky and there are no lasting ramifications. Others are slightly less lucky and there's a broken bone or a scar or two they will carry for life. And a very small and unfortunate few end up with a tragedy.
But no parent escapes near misses and anyone who says otherwise is oblivious or a liar.
I've gotten all the way home after work when I was supposed to pick my daughter up from high school. It was a change in routine and I was lost in thought.
I also know two very good sets of parents who have left their babies unattended at home. In both cases the babies were asleep in their cribs, but the parents had a million things going on and left home without the baby.
Leaving a child in a car on a hot day is a dreadful, tragic accident from which the parents will NEVER recover. If the prosecutor sees fit to charge someone with negligent homicide, I understand. But absent evidence of intent, or drug use, or some other outside factor, I would never judge someone who left a baby in a car as harshly as some people on here are doing.
thank you, I absolutely agree!!! I could not have said this any better.
this wasnt an umbrella or a cake that she left in the car, but her child.
I think this is un-acceptable all the people here on this forum making excuses for her.
If your child isnt the most importan-est thing in the world, then................................
Nowadays, traffic lights are usually hung from poles or wires directly over an intersection. But in years past, it was more common for the lights to be mounted on a pole at the corner, where they were not nearly as easy to see. One time I was driving in a residential neighborhood in Philadelphia when I drove into an intersection; since I didn't see any traffic control devices, I just assumed that the cross street had a stop sign. Only when I was halfway through the intersection was I stunned to see that there were indeed traffic lights there, inconspicuously set on a small pole over in the corner. And to my horror, I saw that mine was red. Thank God no one was coming through at the time, or I would have crashed right into them.
I can assure you, I am well aware that the requirement to stop on red does indeed apply to me, and that I am not too important to obey that rule. And I wasn't even in a hurry. I just flat-out did not see those lights until it was too late.
I know what you mean.. they used to have a lot of these lights in DC too. They're odd... you're just not used to them, and half of the time there was a tree hanging near to shade the pole anyway so made it even harder to see.
As a driver in America, we're used to the wire-hanging lights and stop signs.. that's what our minds are used to looking for and noticing. Even as a good driver (I get 'safe driver' discounts; I'm attentive as well).. anything out of the normal routine really is easy to overlook...
As opposed to???
These people are either completely mentally handicapped...or they are LYING...they know damned well they left their kids in the car
is it even remotely possible to place your child in the car and forget they are there??
I do not believe this...I think its a lie...they know
People do forget. Read the article below. Humans make mistakes. Terrible tragic mistakes, but mistakes nevertheless.
This happens sadly several times each year. This case the parent was a teacher, not mentally handicapped. One a few years ago (also in Florida I think), the parent was the principal at the school.
It happens to people from all walks of life. Very few are prosecuted, very few are intentional. Sometimes the kids climb into the car and parents don't know they are there. If you think some one would intentionally do this (aside from those few cases), you are the one with a mental health issues.
I agree and said in an earlier post that I understand when they're charged with negligent homicide. But you rarely hear the diatribes against people who are negligent other ways that result in death the way you hear it about people who leave their children in the car. It's generally recognized as an accident--which necessarily means a lack of intent-- with terrible consequences.
Maybe that is because in those other circumstances you describe, it isn't a parent of the other person, in this case, a child.
As a society, we recognize the higher standard of responsibility of a parent to protect their children. Others see no difference and therein lies part of the problem, the child is no different than anyone else and can become an accessory, something to be played with, shown off and no more important than whatever nonsense is in their head at the time.
no, not with my children I dont, sorry to dissapoint you.
I'm not disappointed--just sorry I don't know you in person. I've never met a perfect parent who hasn't done anything stupid. I'd be thrilled just to be in the same room with you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
