Today on my drive to work I heard on the radio about an adult who left a toddler in the car while she went into the store. It was 27 degrees celsius outside the window was left open a crack. A passerby saw the child and called 911, they advised this good Samaritan to basically break into the car and get the child out and then call the police all of which this person did. The police arrived and so did EMS to make sure the child was ok...all the while they are waiting for the adult to come out from the store. Finally, the "aunty" comes out and is severely chastised by the police but no charges were laid.
I get to work and one of my first patients in the morning is a 3 year old girl who had fractured her femur as a result of falling off of an ATV that she was passenger on with a teenager. The child was not wearing a helmet. Apparently there was some question about whether the ATV drove over the child as well.
The surgeon came out and was upset about this, as this was not the first large bone that this 3 year old had experienced. He questioned us whether he should call child services. Discussion ensued and he spoke with the pediatrician to make her aware of his observation and questioned if this should be reported and or investigated. I don't know what the outcome of that discussion was.
I know we all have the right to do risky things. But when it comes to a child, where do you draw the line?
I know of children learning and participating in risky sports at an early age. But this was not the case. So I ask you is this just sheer stupidity on the parents part? Is it abuse? Is it neglect? Did the parents really think it was ok for their child to go on an ATV at 3 years of age? In our province helmets are mandatory so they broke the law for allowing her to be a passenger without a helmet. Should they charged with neglect? Or should they just be given a warning like the aunt was who left the child in the car?
I just find it so hard to believe that people are that stupid to leave a child in the car unattended never mind what the temperature was or to let a 3 year old ride without a helmet on an ATV? Or be a passenger at all!
At the minimum I think they should be made to attend a child care course that focuses on child safety, with emphasis on the does and dont's It sounds pretty basic,simplistic and elementary to me...I just have to shake my head.
What do you think?
8 comments:
Lol, and here's a post in my reader. I think it's abuse for leaving a child in the car period, no excuses.
Guess the other needs to be investigated, did the teen take the child without the parents knowledge? How did the previous break happen etc. ATV's are dangerous if caution isn't used and helmets are always a good idea, however we don't wear them our self when we ride.
I cannot get my head around "forgetting" you have the child with you in the car and leaving s/he in the car all day while you work. Really??????? I can be very very forgetful, but I cannot understand that level of forgetfulness.
I'm shaking my head too. :(
Was this actually an instance of leaving the child in the car, alone, all day or just to run in a convenience store to pick up something quickly? How old was the child too? I am guilty now and then of leaving my grandkids (one or sometimes both of them) in their seats while I run into pick up a newspaper or a gallon of milk -and the car (minus the keys though) is sitting within my view. They are now ages 5 and almost 8 and at that age, windows down though now, sometimes, it a huge hassle to take them inside with me for that brief a period.
The helmet thing though I will never understand why people choose to leave behind something that offers some degree of protection to them! (Adults or children alike!!!) I don't like 4-wheelers, ATV's, etc., very much to be honest. I see lots of smaller children riding them here -on our street no less, which is supposed to be illegal. Sometimes without helmets too and that does scare me a lot! Plus many of the smaller kids riding have no clue as to how seriously injured one can be in an accident with those things! Oh Hell's Bells -plenty of adults have no clue about that either! My neighbor, down the street, had his big riding mower upset and land on him about 3-4 years ago and he wasn't speeding with it, just creeping along when it tipped over. He's lucky, he wasn't really terribly injured but it was bad enough that he did have some cracked ribs which is a painful healing process for anyone to deal with and especially so when you're an oldster and already have a few bits of arthritis hanging around too, ya know! Things do happen and so quickly too whether one is being careless, negligent or very careful as well. If a child though has already had incidents that involved bones broken at the tender age of three -I think then that perhaps a closer look might be warranted, and somethings maybe changed there to try to enforce some child of safety procedures for the family perhaps. It is such a sticky wicket though at times with children to determine how to handle these things for sure.
Jeni...the child was an infant...the aunt was gone long enough for the passerby to call 911 get instructions to break into the vehicle get the police and EMS before the adult came out of the store! That is just Wrong Wrong Wrong!
As for the ATV and helmets....this child was "3". Yes accidents happen but for goodness sakes shouldn't we try to at least minimize these accidents? My hubby had his ATV roll on him and he fractured ribs and punctured his lung...I am not saying it doesn't happen..what I am saying is that these are our children and it is the adults who have to set the ground rules not the child. They are under our care, guidance and supervision..shouldn't we be trying to minimize injury?
As a health care professional if we see something we think is suspicious we are obligated to report it to at least have it investigated.
There certainly are idiots in the world today but do we throw them all in jail? I don't know.
Hhhmm... to me, its an issue about values and priorities in life. For the 'aunty' case, convenience overrules all else obviously.
As for the ATV case, its sad that the parents still need to have some sense knocking into them.
Then again, where is the line drawn between letting family matters stay within family and letting the law enforcer comes into the picture? I really don't know.
In Michigan where I live, they would automatically press charges against whomever was responsible for the childs safety at that point in time....and those charges would be 'child endangerment'. Even if you don't have your young child buckled in a secure, safe car seat they will press charges.
It is just wrong to NOT protect a child who is not old enough to make a respsonsible decision them selves! Hugs!
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