[riverbottomkidok]

What would you do if your minor came home from the state fair with a broken nose, possible brain bleed, and a concussion from a ride? What if that child drove himself home 2 hours later? What if another parent he was with didn't notify you?

He will be fine but am I grasping at straws. Should I be mad?

I don't want any arguments please. Just opinions.

[pitt_transplant]

I would be flipping out because well...

-Natasha Richardson died from a seemingly casual head bump from a ski accident.
-Driving after a head injury is STUPID no matter how old the person is
-The parent not saying anything would make me think they are : ignorant to the danger or just jerks
I would be wary of sending my kid over in the care of someone like that even it was just a fact of they did not know.
- Sue? mmm..I would be more concerned with getting the kid to the hospital and then finding out who runs the fair. How did the accident happen? Too short? Mechanical failure?

[riverbottomkidok]

He got on the mechanical bull, thought the ride was over, went to get off and the operator bumped the control and whacked him in the face. He bled everywhere, had a very visible broken nose and they let him walk away. He's home now and under strict orders. We see a plastic surgeon later this week.

The mother was not an issue. She made a very horrible mistake. She knows it. Keeping her out of this is not a concern of mine but I'll let that remain a private matter please.


Again, I just want opinions. And maybe some thoughts.

[tookey]

Originally Posted by riverbottomkidok

What would you do if your minor came home from the state fair with a broken nose, possible brain bleed, and a concussion from a ride? What if that child drove himself home 2 hours later? What if another parent he was with didn't notify you?

He will be fine but am I grasping at straws. Should I be mad?

I don't want any arguments please. Just opinions.

First of all try to calm down. You sound frantic and I do not blame you one bit. You are probably handling it better than I would. I do hope the child is doing ok. How in the world did it happen. You can take my advice with a grain of salt but this is what I would do. First thing is keep all paperwork from the hospital etc. then I would call the local office that moniters the state fair rides. Are you in Tulsa or Okla City? I know that Tulsa has a mayors hotline number and I am sure that Okla City has one as well they could possiby provide the numbers you need to get in touch with the proper authorities to report the accident. If the accident was the fault of the ride then the owner of the ride would be responsible for injuries. They should carry liability insurance for this sort of thing. If there was no negligent actions on your childs part the rideowner is responsible for maintaining a safe environment for all fair goers. I wouldn't jump into a lawsuit as yet just calmly gather all the information you need to proceed in filing an accident report. Document everything and take names of all you talk to. You could also call the State fair board and i am sorry I don't have the number, and see if someone there can walk you through the process. Good luck and let us know how things turn out. And what a kid to drive himself home he has got to have a big bunch of brave to do that. Now for the parents that did not notify you. Shame on them. Did your child tell them not to notify you so as not to worry you? If not and they just plain did not do their job, you should talk to them calmly and find out why they failed to notify you. No need to threaten lawsuit to them just calmly let them know that you are very displeased and some action may have to be taken. Leave it at that. It's always better to leave people wondering what is going to happen than to let them know. I hope this has helped and keep us updated and good luck.

[tookey]

Ok the other two posts came in while I was going on and on. Sounds to me like the operator of the mechanical bull is at fault. As I stated earlier the operator should have liability ins to cover the medical costs of the accident. Just take a deep breath and slow down. And don't let anyones hysteria rule your mind.

[riverbottomkidok]

Originally Posted by tookey

Now for the parents that did not notify you. Shame on them. Did your child tell them not to notify you so as not to worry you? If not and they just plain did not do their job, you should talk to them calmly and find out why they failed to notify you. No need to threaten lawsuit to them just calmly let them know that you are very displeased and some action may have to be taken.

Tookey thank you for wording this so eloquently. That is the only reason I changed my mind about talking about the parent. This was the exact situation and outcome (so far).

Some people don't need punished, they do it themselves.

Thank you very much for the concern. My boy is tough and will be okay.

[tookey]

Originally Posted by riverbottomkidok

Tookey thank you for wording this so eloquently. That is the only reason I changed my mind about talking about the parent. This was the exact situation and outcome (so far).

Some people don't need punished, they do it themselves.

Thank you very much for the concern. My boy is tough and will be okay.

You are so welcome. I am glad your boy is going to be ok and I know this is a stressful situation. He's got to be tough to drive himself home. Take care of him and don't give yourself a heart attack over it, I know it's hard right now but just try to think calmly and rationally.

[pitt_transplant]

That is good he is ok. I would talk to the owner of the festival about settling on the medical bills and make sure he did not damage his neck too. Sometimes neck issues can show up later. But you may not even have to go to court if they agree to pay and are cordial about it.

[riverbottomkidok]

Thank you both Tookey and Pitt!

By the way I didn't specify the fair. Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair. I have about a week to get everything together before they move on.

[tookey]

Pitt is correct I didn't even think about possible neck problems, might check out any back problems as well sometimes those things show up later.