That is so so sad they seem such a lovely family
David
Everyone with little ones READ THIS!!
by momzcrazy 35 Replies latest jw friends
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MsMcDucket
Toddler Driveway Deaths An "Epidemic"
Posted:
May 12, 2008 09:29 PM CDT
Updated:
May 13, 2008 02:07 AM CDT
by Jim Grawe
In the blink of an eye, tragedy strikes.
"It's heart stopping, hearing about somebody backing over a child," says concerned Wichita parent Lindsay Scott.
A life just beginning is ended by a mom, dada, grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling. Scott says this kind of story tugs at the heart of every parent.
"The first thought is just to their family and how it is just so sad," says Scott.
The terrible accident on Mother's Day that killed two-year-old Justin McElhaney on Wichita's west side is a near carbon copy of many others. It happened at home in the driveway, the driver was a family member, the child was a boy under four and the vehicle was an SUV.
The non-profit, Kansas-based Kids and Cars organization says the number of these accidents has risen dramatically. Over the past decade at least nine small Kansans have died that way. More than half of those accidents happened in Wichita.
"It wasn't that long ago that a pickup truck or SUV or these larger vehicles wouldn't be found in every American driveway, but we are finding that these days," says Kids and Cars founder Janette Fennell.
Fennell estimates the Ford Bronco that Ran over McElhaney, like most SUVs, has a 20 to 30 foot blind zone behind it. That's something a new federal law aims to address.
"It seems hard and even impossible to believe there's no standard right now that says we should be able to see when we're backing up," says Fennell.
But implementing new standards is expected to take several years. In the meantime, options include installing a rear video camera on your vehicle and a back-up alarm.
Here's the address for giving to the Justin J. McElhaney Memorial Fund:
C/O BWCU
PO Box 789757
Wichita, KS 67278
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wifekeepsmeinit
why is it that people get so excited over such bad news, enough to repost stories over the internet. What happened to the good news.
If I need to be reminded to hug my children there is something wrong with me.
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