Strollerderby : accidents

Zoo Train Derails

SunnyChanel — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:13:00 GMT

You needn’t fear the lions, tigers and bears at the Louisville Zoo – fear their Zoo Train. On Monday the small open-air train that circles the popular animal park derailed. The bright red train was carrying about thirty passengers, a little more than half were children –with one two-month-old on board - when...three of the cars as well as the engine came off the tracks near the zoo’s gorillas. Twenty of the passengers, including the before mentioned two-month-old, were taken to local hospitals with one rider sustaining serious injuries. When the train derailed, a passenger was trapped beneath one of the cars and had to be rescued by Louisville firefighters.

Of course the safety of the ride will be examined. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture - who check out all the state’s amusement park rides and attractions - will be heading up an investigation of the incident.

Do you ever risk your safety when riding something as tame as a zoo train?

Source

6 Reasons Why it Sucks to Be a Kid Today

Cole Gamble — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Rebecca Kelly feels very sorry for today's youth. We had it better. According to her, "back in the good old days, being a kid was awesome, but now today's youth is choking on yuppified bulls*** like organic nonsense, parental controls, and more."

1) Food is No Fun

When we were kids we had lunches packed with Fruit By the Foot, Teddy Grahams, and Squeeze Its. Now kids get organic crap like fruit leathers, vegetable-flavored “chips” that have the texture of packing cellophane, and sugar-free, 100% juice. What ever happened to “3% juice” juice that you could squeeze out of a cartoon face? Sure, some kids nowadays still have gloriously unhealthy lunches, but yuppie parents regard these children as contagious chunksters who could pass the “fat” virus onto their precious kids via direct, sticky-handed contact.

2) Clothing Has Gotten Ridiculous

Young girls have belly-baring shirts, kid-sized halter tops, and rhinestones on everything, while young boys look like mini douche bags with their youth-sized rugby shirts and cargo shorts. Pre-teens are just as bad: girls are pairing leggings with everything and boys are popping every collar they can get their hands on. What happened to Osh Kosh overalls and cute crap like duckies and froggies on little kids' shirts? Why the hell would you want your 7-year-old to go to school wearing a t-shirt that says “spoiled brat” and hot pants that have the word “princess” emblazoned on the butt?

3) Parents are Too Paranoid

In the good ol' days, we could go exploring in the woods behind our house, climb the tallest tree in our yard, and sled down the stairs in our house using a blanket or a laundry basket. Our parents didn't care as long as we came for dinner when they shouted. Now everything in the house is childproof, kids are on leashes so they don't stroll more than two feet away from their parents, and parents go insane if their kid gets a single scratch or bump. Cuts and bruises gave us character, and they taught us valuable lessons that we were able to learn for ourselves (e.g., stoves are hot, roofs are high, table corners are pointy).

Now that I come to think of it, I don't know why I didn't perish as a kid in a roof-jumping off accident or from obsesity triggered juvinle diabetes. Man, we do parent our kids like wussies these days.

To read more of Rebecca's article, go here.

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Tie Up That TV

Amy Kuras — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:01:00 GMT

One of my more terrifying parenting moments was when my daughter was two-ish and watching TV, and I stepped out of the room to take a phone call on my cell. I wasn’t gone two minutes before I heard a horrible crash. It was, unmistakably, the TV hitting the floor, and thank God the next thing I heard was her crying and clearly unhurt or I probably would have died right there.My poor husband, who I was on the phone with, heard "Crash" then me yelling my daughter's name, then"OHMYGODshepulledovertheTVIHAVETOGO" click.

See, kids can and do die from pulling TVs down on top of them, and according to this story from Televsion Broadcast magazine of all places, such accidents are on the rise. Kids under seven are most likely to tip a TV over on themselves. Deaths are rare, but they do happen. Head and neck injuries were most common.

Luckily the fix is easy. Just anchor the TV to the wall with straps or L-brackets. Our new TV came with a little a wire thing to hook it up to the wall. And just in time, since my toddler has an obsession with climbing and had already tried to climb up on the TV stand.

Babble Talk: It Was an Accident

JeanneSager — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:06:00 GMT

It's always an accident. They knock over the bottle of water you just told them to watch out for, and they look at you, stricken. "I'm sorry Mommy, it was an accident!"

But the best "accidents" are the times they do something naughty that's really accidentally on purpose. Even the strictest disciplinarian has to get the lesson over FAST so they can run off into another room and get their giggles out.

Take Raphael, the three-year-old over at Kids Say the Cutest Things this week. He told one of the adults in his life, "I just climbed up on the counter and ate some sugar, by accident."

It's funny how that happens, isn't it? You're just going along, minding your own business, and poof, you're on top of the counter, licking that sweet white stuff. Come to think of it, I know a friend or two who has had some cravings like that . . . get your mind out of the gutter people, I met pregnant friends.

Does Your Kid Have an Accent?

Kids Say the Cutest Things: Monday Quote of the Day

Babble Talk: Financial Advice from a Three-Year-Old

Accident Prone: How Can We Protect Kids From Accidental Death?

Kate Tuttle — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:01:00 GMT

A new study looking at global trends in child mortaility pinpointed accidents as the killers of 830,000 children worldwide each year. And in a way, that's the good news: accidents, it turns out, are at least potentially preventable, and on a small scale, unlike the bigger child-killers such as pneumonia and diarrhea.

The report, authored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, looked at trends across different countries and regions, and compared by age and gender. What it finds is that while 95% of accidents befall children in countries that aren't poor, 40% of accidental deaths occur in the poorest countries -- the implications in terms of first-aid and healthcare systems are inescapble.

Even more compelling, perhaps, are the lessons to be gained in terms of prevention. While the leading causes of infant death are disease-related, as children grow older two types of accidents -- car crashes and drowning -- rise to near the top of the list. Changes in speed limits, car seats and seatbelts, and even road signage could have a drastic and immediate effect on these numbers. As for drowning, simply mandating that children learn to swim was enough to save thousands in Sweden, where swimming lessons were among a host of public policy iniatives that has cut that country's accidental death rate in children by more than 80% in forty years. Such a tiny improvement as child-proof caps on kerosene bottles would save an estimated 5,000 children a year.

With all the worry that American parents tend to put into dangers that are statistically irrelevant -- stranger abduction, for instance, or Internet prostitution rings -- maybe we'd all be better off pushing for the small but significant changes that can really save lives. While your own community may offer swimming pools and lessons, it's likely your cross-town poor neighbors don't have the same kind of access. Supporting politicans who pledge to even the playing field for all our kids is a good start (and those UNICEF boxes at Halloween, hokey as they may appear, start to seem downright heroic).

More by this author:

Getting Pregnant "Accidently on Purpose"

SunnyChanel — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:59:00 GMT

Like a bad soap opera or the result of a woman who’s clock is not just ticking but sounding a desperate and deafening alarm, there is, supposedly, a trend afoot of getting pregnant “accidentally on purpose.”

The Times of London recently published a piece on women in their thirties who knowingly get knocked up by unsuspecting bedmates, their de facto sperm donors. This segment of baby-lusting ladies are allegedly having unprotected sex with men who would be “good father material. But they aren't looking for any paternal participation, just their initial deposit, the men's sperm. The Times interviews a 35 year-old editor who states, “In the past, with other boyfriends, I had been much more careful, but I was in my early thirties and my biological clock was in overdrive. I really, really wanted a baby, and I didn’t have any time to waste. My daughter’s father was clever and good-looking, and I suppose it seemed safer to have an affair with him than a one-night stand. And it was cheaper and a lot more fun than doing it in a clinic…He put pressure on me not to have the baby, but for me, it wasn’t an accident.“

Jezebel stated: “It also seems like a bit of a sexist urban legend, the idea of aggressive, baby-hungry young professionals.” Flashbacks of Fatal Attraction, anyone?

Via: Jezebel

Middle School Teacher Rides Bike Into Bear

SunnyChanel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:11:00 GMT

Middle school teacher Jim Litz better think twice before discounting a student’s claim of “the dog ate my homework”, because he knows that stranger things can happen, and they have happened to him. On his way to work in Missoula, Montana this week ,via his trusty red bicycle, he was peddling along at a clip of about 25 miles an hour and “he came upon a rise and spotted a black bear about 10 feet in front of him. He didn't have time to stop and T-boned the bruin. He tumbled over the handlebars, his helmet hit the bear's back and the two went cartwheeling down the road. The bear rolled over Litz's head, cracking his helmet, and scratched his back before scampering up a hill above the road.”

Litz was then taken to the hospital and is expected to make a speedy recover and should be able to go back to class on Friday. Now that will make a great story for show and tell.

(via AP)

Grand Theft Auto player saves family

Brett Singer — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

That whole "video games are bad" thing took a hit last week when an 11 year old girl named Audrey Plique helped her family get out of the family car after it rolled over on the highway. How did she know what to do in a situation like that? From playing "Grand Theft Auto."

Click on "source" below for the full story, but here are the basics: the driver, Audrey's dad, felt lightheaded and their Jeep went off the road. The vehicle, "struck a guardrail and flipped four times before coming to rest on its side in the ditch. The roof of the vehicle caved in and the back window broke out." Audrey got the family out in time: "She just knew, from playing 'Grand Theft Auto.' She saw on there that when a car rolls over, it can blow up," her mother said.

Everybody survived; only the father had serious injuries, but he is expected to recover.

Now, since I'm not insane, I don't actually think that "Grand Theft Auto" saved this family's life. That said, playing GTA also doesn't make you a killer. Good for Audrey. She should fight crime when she grows up.

Source/image: mywebtimes

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Mommy Blogger Hurt In Plane Crash Helped by Readers

SunnyChanel — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:18:00 GMT

Never question the awesome strength of the blog. Mother of four, Stephanie Nielson of NieNie Dialogues, is one “mommy blogger” who’s readers came out to support in a very significant way, proving the monumential power of the people and the ~~pen~~ keyboard.

On August 16th, Stephanie and her husband were critically injured and severely burned in a small-craft plane accident in Arizona. Currently she is in a medically induced coma and has suffered burns over 83 percent of her body. Her husband was burned over 35 percent of his body and his condition has improved.

““We’ve formed a whole new community, a community of complete strangers who all care about one thing – in this case, one family – who’s in need,” Stephanie’s sister, Courtney Kendrick, told TODAY’s Matt Lauer on Tuesday.”

Stephanie’s blog focuses on the joys of motherhood in an arena usually reserved for the day to day difficulties. “What she represented to a lot of people is the positive impact of motherhood and what motherhood can be for so many people. I think that’s what people responded to.”

After word got out about the accident the visitors to her NieNie Dialogues jumped from 1,000 a day to about 20,000, many wondering how they could help. To assist the family with their ever mounting medical bills, which are already over $2 million (insurance covers the first million), a NieNie regular started a auction which grew to about 350 auctions and have raised about $100,000, a fraction of their bills but a nice chunk none the less.

For more info on Stepahnie, her family and the fundraising efforts, go to the NieNie Recovery site here.

Via Today

The Biggest Driving Mistakes Moms Make

Amy Kuras — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:32:00 GMT

As responsible parents, we'd never drive drunk, tailgate out of road rage, try to apply makeup or read while driving, right?
But turns out some very common behaviors are just as dangerous. According to this story from MSNBC, a recent University of Utah study found that subjects using cell phones in a driving simulation had three accidents, while those who were drunk had none (although I take major issue with the story for this: "Tempting as it may be to use free minutes to schedule a playdate…." Sure. Because everything we do as mothers has to be about our children. It's not like we have jobs or friends or volunteer activities we might need to check in with, no, we're just shopping, cooking, cleaning, playdate-scheduling machines.).

Other dangerous behaviors are eating behind the wheel, drowsy driving, and tending to our kids while in the car (passing out snacks and handing over sippy cups, for example). It all comes down to driver distraction. Distractions of just three seconds cause fully 80 percent of accidents.

I know so far, I've been lucky – the multiple times I've reached or glanced back to tend to my kids while driving have resulted in other drivers not hitting me, (but probably wishing they could because I'm driving like an idiot). I must say, my cell phone's been broken for about a month now and while I miss the convenience of catching up on calls while I am out and about, I'm glad I have had a chance to break the habit.

Wandering 2-Year-Old Struck by Car; No Parents Nearby

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:56:00 GMT

In our attempts to bring you only the happiest news today, we have this from the heart of Napa Valley's Wine Country. A 2-year-old girl who was wandering alone outside her family's apartment at 5 in the morning was struck by a car and left for dead.

But the weird part isn't that the girl was last seen two blocks from her home at an ungodly early hour. Two witnesses apparantly saw her tottering about and did nothing. If I was out walking at 5 in the morning, the last thing I would expect to see is a 2 year old. Alone. Near a busy road. At the very least, I would stop for a moment and make sure there is a parent nearby. I can't be the only crazy, overprotective person out there, right?

In the end, the girl was found unconscience near a curb. She later died. Police are looking for a witness who may have seen the car that did this -- but the witness only told another witness about it and then walked away. What the hell people?

Girl Saves Lives, Gets Punished

Kelly Mills — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:03:00 GMT

A fifteen-year-old high school student, Amanda Rouse, stopped an out-of-control school bus by pulling the emergency brake. When the bus driver fell out of her seat, she yelled to Amanda for assistance. The teen quickly put the brake on and the bus hit two parked cars and stopped. She then helped the driver up, who called the school transportation authorities. None of the 40 elementary school kids on the bus were injured, and the driver suffered only minor damage. Kudos to Amanda for her quick action.

So what did Amanda get for her heroism? Saturday school. See, it turns out she wasn't supposed to be on the bus at that point, but she says she felt ill on the ride to school, so she asked the driver if she could stay on for the return trip. I guess she was supposed to notify the school instead, or, as she says, "I should have gotten off the bus and called my grandma." Hmmm, if I was the school, I might consider giving her a one-time pass in light of the fact that she saved the day, but I suppose the quality of mercy is not strained, yo.

Photo: DAVID ROYAL/The Herald

Preemie Catches on Fire

Madeline Holler — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:59:00 GMT

This is one of those stories where the sensible side of your brain reminds you that it's a rare tragedy, most likely won't happen to your child, you're safe, you're safe, you're safe. The crazy side of your brain, though, thinks you and yours are surely the next victim.

In a Minnesota hospital, a baby born three weeks early, was wearing an oxygen hood -- a device that fits over the face and supplies extra oxygen -- when something caused a fire to ignite. Nurses immediately put out the fire, but the tiny infant was burned. He is in critical but stable condition in a hospital burn unit.

Dr. Leslie Smith said the infant will probably survive. But he suffered second- and third-degree burns over nearly a fifth of his body, including his head, shoulders, part of his face and the tops of his hands, Smith said.

"This is our first experience with burns at this age," said Dr. George Peltier, a plastic surgeon at the burn center.

Doctors say the boy, who weighs 8 pounds and was just 12 hours old when the fire burned him, will have use of his hands and fingers and he shoud have a normal life. The family's lawyers say they are focusing on their little boy and have not yet considered suing.

The lawyer delivered this kicker, when saying the family was coping as best they could:

"This is a mother who's never held her son, who's not allowed to touch her son."

Picky 3-Year-Old Heads Home -- Alone! -- For Lunch

Madeline Holler — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:13:00 GMT

Let's just say parents of the 3-year-old girl who left school alone and unnoticed are pissed.

Their little girl Leonie didn't like the day's lunch menu so she didn't line up with the others when it was time for their afternoon meal. Instead, she walked out of the school and through a gate that had been left unlocked and headed down the street, making her way back home.

Nobody at her school noticed that she wasn't in the lunchline. In fact, they didn't realize she had even left. Mercifully, a real estate agent saw the little girl in her school uniform, no bag, no coat, and unescorted and went right over to see why she was out in the streets.

Leonie had walked around a quarter of a mile and was heading towards a busy dual carriageway when luckily a passer-by spotted her and escorted safely back to school.

It wasn't until the girl was brought back that the school realized she had left, which is when they called her parents. Of course, they're going over their safety standards and making sure all the gateways are locked and secure.

So just what was being served that day for lunch? Pork chops! Damn, girl. My kids would have made the opposite trek -- home to school -- for those eats!

Photo: Daily Mail

Kids Scare the Me into Not Having Them

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:05:00 GMT

After years of living in a rental, we're finally looking seriously into buying a home, which, at least in San Francisco, means we're also looking into selling our kidneys to afford the down payment.

But after reading this post from Amy at Memories and Musings of a Mother about be-pooped walls and toilet water-soaked floors, I'm beginning to have second thoughts not only of purchasing anything of value but of having any more children.

At the moment, the worst damage our adorable 21-month-old has managed is to keep us up at night. I think she may have also drawn on the wall with crayon one time, but the evidence was easily washed away. It wasn't ruined carpets. Poop-stained walls and water, water everywhere.

I've heard similar horror stories -- fireworks burning down a house, for instance -- but this one really struck home: Kids can do some damage. Especially as they grow older and more coordinated and cunning. So as we are about to invest our savings and internal organs, I'd love to get a better idea of what kids can really do -- what hell hath they created in your home?

[Picture from Amy's awesome blog. Check it.]

Baby Trapped Under Car Rescued

Kelly Mills — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:32:00 GMT

Who doesn't love a miraculous escape story? Jackie Stephens was pushing her four-month-old grandson Luke in a stroller on Christmas Eve afternoon when a car drove up onto the curb and hit them. Jackie was knocked unconscious with serious injuries, and Luke's stroller was stuck under the chassis of the car. The car was leaking fuel and threatened to ignite or collapse on the infant. So how did he escape with only minor cuts and bruises?

Simple: He depended on the kindness and quick action of strangers. Several patrons of a nearby bar heard the crash and raced out. Someone grabbed soil from potted plants and threw it on the gasoline to keep it from catching fire. Six or seven men positioned themselves around the car and quickly lifted it, managing to extract Luke from the wreck. Jackie is still in intensive care with brain damage and critical injuries, but Luke was released the next day. Jackie's husband says, "She is not out of the woods yet but it is miracle that Luke has survived. The people in that pub are heroes. They saved my grandson's life."