Parents of Maddox Derkosh Suing Pittsburgh Zoo (legal, money)

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Jfhills

I don't know what to do and am not going to do anything I decided long ago. It's too much for me emotionally. I can't wait for a few 5 or ten years to pass and for this to pass more with that time.

Well -- that never really goes away. My sister has a very hard time going to the cemetery to "visit" our parents because the grave next to them is a 2 year old boy that had been run over by his father by accident, and my sister knew him. And it's been 32 years.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by UKyank

Agreed, if they had any intention if doing anything with the money rather then line their own pockets they would have mentioned it when filing the suit. Greed is sad way to taint the memory of a child.

Its that your professional opinion "counselor", or are we're just saying it for inflammatory value?

[greg42]

FWIW:

I just spent a week with my SO's family; her sister's only kid, teenager, was hit by a car and died. It's a whole lotta nasty crap for sure and honestly sometimes at least by watching outwardly I felt like I was more of a mess than the mother was, although going forward that won't likely continue to be the case. Anyway it seemed like so far there is nobody in the family that seems to have lingering anger towards the driver, and there's a lawyer right in the family mix. I don't foresee a lawsuit though there may be some kind of settlement with the auto insurance company given the expenses.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

Its that your professional opinion "counselor", or are we're just saying it for inflammatory value?

Professional opinion. If one is filing such a suit to do anything other then collect & keep the possible $$ for themselves (ie donating it or using it for some other worthwhile cause) it is stated up front so as to quell some of the firestorm from filing the suit in the first place.

Note that doing so still wouldn't make the lawsuit right either of course.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by UKyank

Professional opinion. If one is filing such a suit to do anything other then collect & keep the possible $$ for themselves (ie donating it or using it for some other worthwhile cause) it is stated up front so as to quell some of the firestorm from filing the suit in the first place.

Note that doing so still wouldn't make the lawsuit right either of course.

Because they need to quell a supposed "firestorm" because _________________?

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

Because they need to quell a supposed "firestorm" because _________________?

Well, otherwise everyone thinks they're just looking to hit the lawsuit lottery. Although that's not exactly a "because". What other people think isn't always a deterrent for such things.

[EveKendall]

More than the money I am concerned that a settlement will contribute to the mother thinking this was not her fault. The is absolutely an example of negligent parenting. This case is similar to cases where parents leave their child in a hot car or leave their children alone at home and they burn the house down. I am not saying I do not have compassion for this mother--I absolutely do. But we have no way of knowing if this was a one-time fluke or part of a pattern of poor parenting decisions. I hope she is in therapy but she needs to take full responsibility for her actions.
I say this as a mental health professional who has worked with children and families where there is maltreatment. I have also sat on child fatality reviews, and I think she was fortunate that she wasn't criminally charged. Few people who kill their children have true malicious intent; it is usually the result of benign neglect, as in this case.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by EveKendall

More than the money I am concerned that a settlement will contribute to the mother thinking this was not her fault. The is absolutely an example of negligent parenting. This case is similar to cases where parents leave their child in a hot car or leave their children alone at home and they burn the house down. I am not saying I do not have compassion for this mother--I absolutely do. But we have no way of knowing if this was a one-time fluke or part of a pattern of poor parenting decisions. I hope she is in therapy but she needs to take full responsibility for her actions.
I say this as a mental health professional who has worked with children and families where there is maltreatment. I have also sat on child fatality reviews, and I think she was fortunate that she wasn't criminally charged. Few people who kill their children have true malicious intent; it is usually the result of benign neglect, as in this case.

...and that is a consequence to the rest of us because?


You seem to think that said action is very easy, or that she owes the public an apology for what happened

[EveKendall]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

...and that is a consequence to the rest of us because?


You seem to think that said action is very easy, or that she owes the public an apology for what happened

No, I am concerned about the safety of other/future children and vulnerable adults in her care. I think the well-being of all children is my business to an extent. I care about all kids, not just my own.

[greg42]

Well, personally, I don't want the zoo to suffer. I know the parents are suffering. I can only imagine what they are going through, although I can say it's a little closer to home than it used to be. (See above.) But making others to suffer as well is not an appropriate course of action in such matters.

The zoo suffering would be a consequence to the rest of us.

I keep noticing one thing missing in all this (and I just looked back at the old articles and so forth) is that there's no mention of them trying to reach some agreement with the zoo for any expenses. You can even read the full statement, where such a thing is never mentioned: The Derkosh family's statement on the filing of a lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Zoo - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette It's all about blaming the zoo.

I wouldn't have a problem with a lawsuit if it were in fact like the McD's coffee case, where they refused to pay the victim's expenses and it was the only recourse left. But there's no indication that this is the case at all. So that suggests the lawsuit is about punishment and/or lottery, neither of which replaces their kid or will really give them any sense of peace about it even if they win. The only person who wins is the lawyer.