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That could be, and the grandfather would need an attorney in the event he's charged with something for being responsible for the accident.
I can imagine the family is in shock and are inconsolable at this point over this senseless tragedy, and the grandfather-well, one can only imagine his grief. And I guess it's human nature to look elsewhere besides oneself to blame for such a tragedy. Perhaps it's part of a denial process under such circumstances when one is unable to face, or even conceive of the reality that his/her own actions caused such a devastating result. I still can't imagine suing under these circumstances, but maybe that is just me.
I totally agree, but then I remember that anger feels more powerful than sorrow.
I've observed similar situation as we were raising our kids. It tended to be the men but not always.
Someone would do something I didn't think was safe. I was told to quit being such a worry wart. That they're just having fun. That it was fine. 9 times out of 10 it was.
But the 10th time, someone would get hurt. Invariably the blame would be on the kid for doing something unexpected, or the circumstances, or ... "Who could have seen that happening?"
I did. And I told you to stop.
Of course, the family is blaming the cruise line for putting a safety rail right in front of those windows. Why that was just an invitation for injury, etc.
But odds are 50-50 that grandpa will accept the blame for this.
I think you're right on the money, there. This reminds me of when my cousin and I were visiting an aunt and uncle on their farm. It was a hot summer day, and us kids asked if we could go swimming in the big irrigation canals (there was no pool). Our uncle said it was fine, but when his wife got wind of it, she was horrified, and put her foot down. There was some disagreement between the two of them, but her firm foot down won out.
Of course, as kids we had no idea that the canals could be full of chemical runoff from the fields, and such. *whew* That was kind of a close call.
This was a horrible incident and I do not believe the grandfather did this on purpose.
I think it is a POSSIBILITY, that the grandfather did know the window was open and just decided to pick up the granddaughter to see the view. And now he is saying he didn't know the window was open to protect himself. I can't even imagine how he must feel.
There are so many possibilities here. I don't think the story about the child banging on glass at a hockey game has anything to do with this. It sounds like an excuse to me. The grandfather took a large risk and the results were unspeakable. One thing is for sure, that poor kid is gone because of a very foolish move that the grandfather made.
I can't think he did either, but as others have said, it may well have been a moment of carelessness when he set the kid on a ?railing (as reported), and maybe for a thoughtless moment, didn't hang onto her well enough to keep her from falling to her death.
About his comments about assuming the child would just pound on the glass as she was accustomed, that's something that IMO children should not be permitted to do. Whether its's window glass at home or in a public place, looking outside, or multilayered plexiglass looking into an aquatic or wildlife display, the potential is there to cause damage, get injured, or to disturb the aquatic or wildlife residence with the noise or vibrations caused by the pounding. Comes under the heading of common sense, respect for others' property and consideration for our wildlife friends not to pound on windows,IMO.
No doubt it is a tragedy, but letting kids bang on glass is downright stupid. Many store fronts do not have safety glass, & if the window broke, it could badly injure someone, plus leave the family liable for repair of the window. One cannot assume all glass is unbreakable & safe.
This was a horrible incident and I do not believe the grandfather did this on purpose.
I think it is a POSSIBILITY, that the grandfather did know the window was open and just decided to pick up the granddaughter to see the view. And now he is saying he didn't know the window was open to protect himself. I can't even imagine how he must feel.
There are so many possibilities here. I don't think the story about the child banging on glass at a hockey game has anything to do with this. It sounds like an excuse to me. The grandfather took a large risk and the results were unspeakable. One thing is for sure, that poor kid is gone because of a very foolish move that the grandfather made.
The bolded is the conclusion I've come to, too. It's not possible to not see the window is open. Knowing it was open, he should have stepped to the side, to a window that was closed. Infants and toddlers are squirmy and unpredictable. I guess only moms, and a few dads, who handle them for hours every day are cognizant of that, though.
I totally agree, but then I remember that anger feels more powerful than sorrow.
For sure..... one can direct that anger (even if it's rationalized and misplaced)towards the assigned target of the blame, and at least temporarily mitigate the sorrow. Perhaps...
No doubt it is a tragedy, but letting kids bang on glass is downright stupid. Many store fronts do not have safety glass, & if the window broke, it could badly injure someone, plus leave the family liable for repair of the window. One cannot assume all glass is unbreakable & safe.
When did letting kids bang on glass become a thing? That sure wasn't allowed when I was a kid, and I don't recall seeing it since then, either. It's like letting your kid/s run around loose, running and screaming through a big store, then being surprised if something's broken, an elderly shopper's knocked down, or someone snatches one of the kids and disappears. No one used to let their kids do that. Why is it different, now? People don't seem to have any idea, that they're opening the door to tragedy at worst, and creating a nuisance at minimum.
When did letting kids bang on glass become a thing? That sure wasn't allowed when I was a kid, and I don't recall seeing it since then, either. It's like letting your kid/s run around loose, running and screaming through a big store, then being surprised if something's broken, an elderly shopper's knocked down, or someone snatches one of the kids and disappears. No one used to let their kids do that. Why is it different, now? People don't seem to have any idea, that they're opening the door to tragedy at worst, and creating a nuisance at minimum.
I agree, there is no need to allow a baby to hit glass, even at a hockey game. I get that it may entertain the kid, but many other things can entertain the kid. If they need entertaining that badly and nothing else is available but a window 11 stories up or a plexiglass enclosure around ice, maybe the kid either doesn't belong there (is too young) or the adults should be more prepared to entertain her.
The more I think about it I also suspect he held her up to see the view and is now lying to cover his ***. The ship's cameras won't necessarily be able to determine whether he is lying about the reason why he placed her there or whether he knew the window was open. Of course, a baby doesn't care about the view but I have seen adults show toddlers things they probably don't care about or appreciate many times. I think it's kind of human nature to want to show small children things, even if they can't fully grasp or appreciate them. Totally off topic but to illustrate the point, I watch these youtubers who sail around the world and had a baby in December and in one of their vlogs they go out of their way to show him the sunset. He was only a few months old, totally obviously didn't get it, but I think they liked the idea of trying to show him something beautiful, which is sweet and the intentions are good. I'm sure grandpa had good intentions either way but terrible choice given where they were.
This was a horrible incident and I do not believe the grandfather did this on purpose.
I think it is a POSSIBILITY, that the grandfather did know the window was open and just decided to pick up the granddaughter to see the view. And now he is saying he didn't know the window was open to protect himself.
I also think he knew the window was open. It's too much of a coincidence that he chose the one spot with an open window. Besides, how can you not know a window is open when you're right in front of or next to it?
He clearly didn't mean harm. It's unfortunate he can't admit to making a mistake, regardless of how it happened.
I agree, there is no need to allow a baby to hit glass, even at a hockey game. I get that it may entertain the kid, but many other things can entertain the kid. If they need entertaining that badly and nothing else is available but a window 11 stories up or a plexiglass enclosure around ice, maybe the kid either doesn't belong there (is too young) or the adults should be more prepared to entertain her.
The more I think about it I also suspect he held her up to see the view and is now lying to cover his ***. The ship's cameras won't necessarily be able to determine whether he is lying about the reason why he placed her there or whether he knew the window was open. Of course, a baby doesn't care about the view but I have seen adults show toddlers things they probably don't care about or appreciate many times. I think it's kind of human nature to want to show small children things, even if they can't fully grasp or appreciate them. Totally off topic but to illustrate the point, I watch these youtubers who sail around the world and had a baby in December and in one of their vlogs they go out of their way to show him the sunset. He was only a few months old, totally obviously didn't get it, but I think they liked the idea of trying to show him something beautiful, which is sweet and the intentions are good. I'm sure grandpa had good intentions either way but terrible choice given where they were.
If banging on glass was a pattern, it's possible the child "processed" the window as closed and lunged forward catching the grandfather by surprise. Folks carrying children pause by overlook railings all the time but they instinctively keep secure hold of their kids.
Even if using the rail to support part of her weight, I still can't quite conceive how he didn't hold on tight with an open window. But this accident happened *somehow* with it not the deliberate dangling of the child and a slip as first portrayed by local spokespeople. It will be a tragedy that will never end for that family, with the child denied a chance at a full life.
Other poster comments that those not used to being around small children do not always have sound judgment about what can happen ring true. Speaking of myself, pre-kid I nearly managed to get my nephew killed one day. While anxiously watching the older children walking on a ledge (my SIL was fine with it to my surprise) the 18-month old almost made it to traffic. I simply had no idea how fast but at the same time unpredictable a child of that age could be. The last time I'd been around him he'd moved like a turtle. This gap in time and experience may have been true for the grandfather with the family now coming together for the cruise.
Later once a parent, there was a lot of conflict with a family friend (male) who had absolutely no situational awareness when it came to my daughter. (Twice, not once but TWICE he almost raised her into one of our high-speed ceiling fans at home stopping only when I shrieked.) That paired with a desire to expose her to "challenges" while at the same time ignoring the need for her to be taught to use objects as they were intended - not as climbing gyms - became more than problematic leading to my restricting access for a number of years. He meant well, but simply could not be trusted to care for her - and he did not listen thinking he knew better.
EDITED TO ADD: Somewhere I saw a list of the family members. I'm not sure there were any other children, just adult siblings etc??? This little girl may have been a first grandchild with it many years since the grandfather (and grandmother since she may have been present?) had been around a child that young.
Last edited by EveryLady; 07-11-2019 at 11:46 AM..
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