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No no, it's not his fault, because if the window had been closed she merely would have smashed into it headfirst and then fallen four feet down to the floor.
So it's the fault of the ship for having an open window.
Ah true, letting go of her was stupid either way. Nice point; what if the window HAD been closed and he still let go of her isn't something I thought of. There is a gap between the railing she was sat on and the window. She probably would have fell between the railing and the window. 1.5 year olds aren't the most balanced, especially when sat on a rather thin railing with no support.
Ah true, letting go of her was stupid either way. Nice point; what if the window HAD been closed and he still let go of her isn't something I thought of. There is a gap between the railing she was sat on and the window. She probably would have fell between the railing and the window. 1.5 year olds aren't the most balanced, especially when sat on a rather thin railing with no support.
Yes, there is about a foot of space between the rail and the wall of windows. Had it been closed, she would either have fallen backwards directly to the deck or forwards, down through the space, her head possibly bouncing off of the ledge, rail, lower window and deck on the way down. Either way, serious head injury and disfigurement were likely to follow the moment he placed her on the rail and let go.
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This child wasn't a newborn, or a sack of potatoes.
If this case goes to actual trial (I'm doubtful) my guess is his lawyer will demonstrate that a child her age put on that handrail, facing a closed window and allowed to fall forward with her hands outstretched to slap on the window, will do exactly that.
Fall forward, encounter the window, and slap on it. No falling, no disfigurement, no serious head injury.
Get out a ruler, dragonman, and look at what a foot looks like. Then look at a child her age, and estimate the length of her arms.
She would have eased forward about 3 inches, and encountered the glass, if it were closed.
OR, very worst case, she would have fallen a yard to the ground. Get out a yardstick and imagine a toddler falling that distance.
You end up with a child who cries a moment but is fine. Maybe has a little bruising.
Grandpa's behind her. She's not falling backwards, she'd fall forwards, and hit the glass. If the window were closed.
Yes, there is about a foot of space between the rail and the wall of windows. Had it been closed, she would either have fallen backwards directly to the deck or forwards, down through the space, her head possibly bouncing off of the ledge, rail, lower window and deck on the way down. Either way, serious head injury and disfigurement were likely to follow the moment he placed her on the rail and let go.
She would have fallen forwards since she fell forwards out the window. Whether it was open or closed she was going down, forwards, and the difference would have been injury rather than death. I doubt serious injury, she would have been ok I think, but either way it would have been her grandpa’s fault for placing her on the railing and letting go.
I'm still having a hard time picturing this and wish we had a diagram. A small child sitting on a narrow railing (I think I read that it was 4 feet high, not 3 feet) would lean forward a very short distance before slipping off the railing and down to the floor. With no other momentum, would she actually catapult out the window? How far down did this open window extend? Is it possible she was standing, not sitting, which makes it seem more likely that her trajectory would be outwards and not down?
Fall forward, encounter the window, and slap on it. No falling, no disfigurement, no serious head injury.
Get out a ruler, dragonman, and look at what a foot looks like. Then look at a child her age, and estimate the length of her arms.
She would have eased forward about 3 inches, and encountered the glass, if it were closed.
OR, very worst case, she would have fallen a yard to the ground. Get out a yardstick and imagine a toddler falling that distance.
You end up with a child who cries a moment but is fine. Maybe has a little bruising.
Grandpa's behind her. She's not falling backwards, she'd fall forwards, and hit the glass. If the window were closed.
I have to dispute this a bit Clara. If she fell forward she would not likely stop at the glass, a toddler lacks the strength and coordination to likely catch themselves. Plus, even if only leaning 3 inches those handrails are narrow and her weight shift would "scoot" her bottom forward too and off the rail.
Also, the fall would not be 36 inches, more 40-41, and if you look at the pictures posted here it's not a level surface to fall to. Maybe a little bruising but more likely more than that.
I'm still having a hard time picturing this and wish we had a diagram. A small child sitting on a narrow railing (I think I read that it was 4 feet high, not 3 feet) would lean forward a very short distance before slipping off the railing and down to the floor. With no other momentum, would she actually catapult out the window? How far down did this open window extend? Is it possible she was standing, not sitting, which makes it seem more likely that her trajectory would be outwards and not down?
I think I read that she was, in fact, standing and he was holding (balancing) her on the rail.
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