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Subscribe to RSSA 12-year-old Brooklyn boy was crushed to death when he got caught in an electronic roll-up gate that he and his friends were playing near. WNBC-TV's Ida Siegal reports.
A 12-year-old New York City boy was crushed to death when he got caught in an electronic roll-up gate where he was playing.
Police say Yakim McDaniels suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses say McDaniels was playing near the gate at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday on Lott Avenue in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.
For more, visit NBCNewYork.com
Fire officials say the boy's hand got caught in the parking lot gate as it started to rise.
The boy's upper body then became wedged in the top part of the gate's frame and rescue crews had to cut through the metal to get him out.
"The little boy just was hanging down from the waist, up to the neck was wrapped up in that," said a witness, Henrietta Alston. "And they had to try to cut the gate down to get him out."
His mother, Doris Chase, told NBC 4 New York that she passed out when she was told what happened.
"Somebody came and got me and told me my son was on the gate. By the time I got out here, he was already stuck on the gate," she said.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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Very sad, prayers to the family.
Peace unto the family of that dead child...so tragic.
Sad story, but as always, the parents blaming everyone else, now it the gate's fault, if you had raised your children right, they would have respect for others property, this gate is not a jungle gym and is there for a reason, now let's wait for Sharpton and company to come raising hell, saying this gate was discriminating.
The mother didnt "blame" anyone. And it never stated the child was playing on the gate, just near it.
My thoughts and prayers are with this fdamily in this horrible time.
C'mon... it was a 12 year old child... playing! Not destroying property. Just being a normal kid. God in heaven, not too judgmental, are we?
The gate looks like a hazard waiting to happen...I've never seen a gate like that. I'm no engineering expert, but I can tell just by looking at it that you wouldn't find one of those in a public access area where I live. There's going to be a major lawsuit over this.
jenlee, steak knives look like a hazard. You must be a sue-happy moron.
I keep reading people posting that this is a "tragedy". This is not a tragedy...this is Darwinism. Yes, Darwinism is still alive and well in the 21st century, regardless of how many warning signs, labels and instructional videos we put on the internet. What happened is misfortunate...but no "tragedy".
And, yes...this is the kid's fault. I have 4 kids, two of whom are in college and I know for a fact that a 12 year old kid is perfectly capable of staying out of "danger" if properly instructed and raised to do so. If the kid wasn't raised to not "play" around dangerous equipment, then the parents are to blame for their kid not having the skills to stay safe in this world. Being a parent is more than just popping out a kid and letting it run wild.
I doubt you know anything about this child's parents or how he was raised..
Look at the gang sign he was making in the picture of him ,that may give you a clue.
Wow Browenstein, you must have raised the worlds most perfect children. I would love to read your best selling book on how to accomplish that. Wait, you don't have one? That's okay, can I watch you on the Today show, giving out tips? What? They never asked you? That's too bad since you seem to be an expert on how everyone around you should raise their children. If one of your children died, can we say that it is Darwinism too? Or would that offend you?
@kp4121- I can make sure steak knives are kept safe in my home. Steak knives aren't left out in public where kids play and often aren't monitored by adults. Nothing in my post indicates that I'm sue happy. Anyone that's been alive at least 20 years and lived in the U.S. knows that this type of incident screams lawsuit. You're not only rude because you like to call names, but you also make unintelligent assumptions based on nothing!
I didn't take his reply as an assumption. It is in fact attitudes like the one you are displaying that continue to grow and foster in this sub-human era of suing everyone for everything. How about taking some responsibility here??? Is that too far out for some of us to understand? We can protect people from almost anything in this world but their own stupid actions. I feel so sorry for his family but that does not excuse his actions nor the possible inactions of his family.
OK, it's a horrible, horrible tragety/accident -- why blame the parents? -- or does it feel too good to be holier than thou ..
Iv never seen a gate like that before, looks like a death trap isnt there a quik release lever or any kind of safty mechanism? A parent cant be with there kids at all times and it probably looked fun to play on for the kid. HOW DID THE GATE GET ACTIVATED?
I raise my kids to believe in and understand personal responsibility and accountability as well as the consequences of one's actions/decisions. That I have 4 boys, all older than this kid and who haven't killed themselves playing on a motorized gate would qualify my as a "better parent" than this kid's parent's. As to your id!otic post about writing books and doing talk shows...well, I guess that's it. No reason to belabor the point.
I am not a liberal not do I believe in the nonsense perpetuated by liberals that there is ALWAYS someone else to blame and no one needs take responsibility for the consequenses of their own actions/decisions. IMO, this nonsense is pure cowardice and a complete lack of character and integrity.
The kid's parents screwed up and he paid the price. It is THAT simple. Parenting is a serious job...it's a shame it's left to id!ots to do it most of the time.
I know enough to know they didn't do a good enough job of teaching him not to play on gates....
@YELDARB27- What attitude? I had 2 moms recently ask why I don't allow my 11 yr. old daughter walk around the mall alone with their kids. One of them told her child she that she felt like she had to "babysit" when my daughter was at her house because I don't allow my daughter to be at a friend's house without a grown-up there. I do take responsibility. That gate is something I would tell my children to stay the hell away from, if they were allowed to play out in the front by themselves. THEY AREN'T! When I say that this looks like a lawsuit, I'M SIMPLY MAKING AN OBSERVATION of how our society is. Excuse me for making that observation- apparently I didn't realize that making an observation equates to fostering behaviors (Americans suing each other). My bad!
Come on Folks. 5-day waiting period on gates and a complete ban on automatic gates and this thing stops. Pass the bill now.
Sounds like some of you are almost glad that a kid died so horrendously. Seems to make you feel comfortable with your "parenting skills."
I sincerely hope that none of you who use this as an excuse to pat yourselves on the back for your "parenting skills" and, face it, good luck never have to go through something like this. No matter how a child is raised they can and will still do stupid things, some of which could get them killed.
Shut up Browenstein. You're an IDIOT.
Parents are: Damned if you do & damned if you don't.
If you are not up your kids' ass 24/7, you are a bad parent. If you are up you kids' ass 24/7, they are resentful & you hear: "You don't trust me! You never let me do anything! I hate you!"
Tell me I'm wrong.................
You don't play "near" a gate to have your hand caught in it while it's going up and then your entire body become entangled. You play WITH it for that to happen. The gate sure didn't jump out on its own and reach for the kid. When I was 12, hardly a "child" by any stretch, I had enough common sense to know what could get me hurt or killed. I didn't mess with them.
We all make mistakes and (hopefully) learn from them (like not re-electing Obama in November). But when you play with dangerous things, be it gasoline and matches or skateboarding and jumping off stairs, you are asking for your demise at your own hand. In this case, it's playing with a large mechanical gate. Chalk this up as #1,232 in ways to die.
@myspellcheckerisbroken: funny
@ConstitutionThumper: nail on the head. It does seem that these miseries seem to make these parents feel better about themselves and not recognize the tragedy at hand. Thanks for slapping these fools up side the head. Seems you are the better parent.
People..bad things happen to good people for no reason.
JRBrowerstein needs help. He was a 12 year old kid you d-bag! And I guarantee you don't really know what your 4 perfect boys have gotten away with super dad. Climb off the high horse, learn a little compassion or just go away. What a loser.
J R Browenstein - you are a moron with an ego....have you considered politics?
Browerstein, thank you. The entire subjects of Responsibility, Accountability, and even Self-reliance, are completely foriegn to most of the posters on here.
Sounds like FU above, doesnt want any part of such topics and would rather spend his time commenting on those that actually do know something about it.
And Jayfos, bad things do happen to good people for no apparent reason, but this particular case has a very clear reason.
I can see the log for checking out a steak knife.........I can hear it now......."Mom can I check out a steak knife from the safe please..........what are you going to cut with it...............I'm going to spread some peanut butter on some bread...........oh then you don't need a steak knife you can have a butter knife"
I can see the log as well. "Mom can I check out a steak knife from the safe please..........what are you going to cut with it...............I'm going to spread some peanut butter on some bread." Mom says "that's what butter knives are for." Mom has to check off 1 child named "G..." as an idiot!
Let's not forget Gtouch?! is it? Steak knives can be kept safe when they are in a home in which children are monitored. They are dangerous things everywhere- that's why we need to pay attention and be mindful of what kids are doing. When they are left alone around dangerous things without supervision, the chance of something happening increases greatly. I haven't placed the knives where they are impossible for my kids to reach them, but we have rules about touching them or climbing on the counters where they are at. We pay attention to what our kids are doing. Have there been accidents on my watch? Yes! Accidents do happen, but they are far worse and more frequent when there is no supervision. It's about common sense and active parenting - not passive parenting!
yeldarb27,
I guess you never did anything on a dare when you were 12 years old. That's too bad. It got my son, who is far from perfect, a sponsor for his BMX future. Did I want him doing backflips off a ramp on a bike? Nope. But he learned that stuff behind my back, I'm sure he crashed alot, but by Browerstein's standards that would make me irresponsible for not holding his hand during the jump.
What they were doing was dumb, I agree with that. To blame an accident on the parent(s) because of this is wrong. 12 year old boys do dumb things. I'm betting there are at least 4 others who won't be climbing on gates going forward. Browerstein has never laid eyes on the parent(s), never had a conversation with them, but somehow this accident is the parents fault. Based on what? And Browerstein's Detroit of the past is certainly not the Detroit we have today. It's much tougher now.
The boy didn't die in a gang related shooting, or was shot by the police for commiting a crime. It was a terrible accident.
As for responsibilty, accountabilty, self reliance. 20 year Marine. I know all about it.
Semper FI,
FU - out.
The difference, it appears, between you and I is that I absolutely understand that I can't and won't know everything my kids to so it is my job as a parent to instill values in them in raising them that would lead them to be smart, responsible and self-aware rather than just letting them "self-raise" themselves however they want. I view my responsibilities as a parent seriously...it is my job to prepare my kids for the world around them to the best of their abilities. I'm not a "set it and forget it" lazy, good-for-nothing parent.
For example...I've taught my kids since they were old enough to understand that smoking is done by moR0ns. No sane, rational and intelligent person would voluntarily poison themselves. Smoking is the crutch of weak-minded, weak-willed imbeciles who can't look at a cigarette and say, "Why the hell would I put a smoldering piece of toxic junk to my lips and suck the poisons into my body"?
I raise my kids to be smarter than the id!ots around them so they can succeed in life; the problem with our society is that there are just SO MANY id!ots that it's like trying to swim through a river of carp.
Nah...it just makes you an irresponsible parent for not being involved in his life to the point where you would be there for him to learn in a safe environment rather than on the down-low.
If your kid had broken his neck and you had to care for a quad for the rest of your life, I think you'd be less cavalier. And save the Marine crap. I was in the Army and knew Marines. The best thing a Marine could do for his kid to be a good parent is not have any kids at all in the first place.
meh...I don't believe people are entitled to anything which they don't earn so I couldn't be a Democrat and I don't believe in God so I couldn't be a Republican.
Not the time to judge, just want to say I'm sorry to the family for this tragedy.
Browerstein.
For you to attack a parent you never met because of an accident to make the world believe your kids have daddy of the year is wrong. You don't see that because your ego is out of control.
And the best thing a Marine could do for his kid to be a good parent is to be there in support of his goals. Where do you think Olympic skiiers, professional skateboarders, X Game bikers, start out? They start out as a kid who takes it a step farther each time. You wouldn't know that being an Army nurse (no disrespect to the actual nurses out there).
Save the Army crap. I know alot of real soldiers, I'm betting you don't qualify.
My reference to my Corps simply was a response to 27's comment.
I'm curious, Bob.
"It got my son, who is far from perfect, a sponsor for his BMX future. Did I want him doing backflips off a ramp on a bike? Nope. But he learned that stuff behind my back,"
You don't want him doing backflips but you got him a sponsor...........
I'm not attacking, I'm just asking. I'm truly curious.
Why did you do this?
Also, to Bob & JR & all other veterans....................this American thanks you for your service in providing my way of life!
Hugs!
Miss D - Thank you.
When he got older (17) he was in a competition and they approached him. I believed in his skills and agreed. No broken bones yet.
Bob & all other vets,
Thank YOU!
And my very best wishes for your sons safety.
How many hundreds/thousnads of times has this gate (and others like it) gone up or down and not reached out and grabbed someboody? But suddenly this one snagged the kid as he was nearby.
Whoe wants to bet that the whole story isn't here? I would dare say that this kid and others were screwing around with it and they managed to override override the system and paid the price. Think about it. Why is the gate there - to keep people in or out of the area. So if there was somebody authorized to use the gate would they have operated the gate with the kid hanging on it?
But of course we can't blame the kid for having a role in this tragedy - it had to be a defecrtive piece of equipment - even if the defect resulted from people screwing with it. We wouldn't want people to take personal responsibility.
Boys will be boys and curiosity and daring are part of it, unless someone like JR Browenstein raises their kids to be a bunch of pansies.
This gate was out in the open to the public which includes kids even younger than the one who was killed or pets roaming around. This gate is dangerous because there are no sensors or clutch that would stop it from rolling up with something or someone in it. Garage doors, by law, have to have sensors on it so they don't operate when someone is in the way and could get crushed by it. This gate was out in the public and needs similar safety devices on it.
Brownstein is not attacking the parent directly. He doesnt need to, the events of this tragic day do all the speaking. I may have more compassion then brown, and our views are different , but so much of this does fall on parents and the upbringing of their children. Parents cant be there all the time, and your hoping that you give your kids enough knowledge and common sense about life. In the end , nothing we can do about it now, except rant about this all being obama and bush's fault .
I just read an article from a NYC site and the kids had been warned numerous times by parents about hanging on the gate as it rose. The kid was not snagged by the gate. One of the kids there has stated that there were several kids hanging on the gate as a dare. They would out do each other by hanging on longer than someone else and then drop to the ground. This kid hung on longer and was then afraid he would get hurt if he let go. He was never "caught" on the gate until he started getting reeled up by the gate.
Just horrible!
Yes, horrible that these kids had nowhere else to play and that msnbc left out half the story.
The local morning news say these kids were playing "chicken" with the gate. ON the gate THEY were triggering the mechanism.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8650634
Thanks for the local link... I can see from the coments below this, that people don't read so well and don't understand how this could have happened.
City kids will do things that are risky in their daredevil challengs to each other. This is horrible. We used to ski behind buses in the snow by holding onto the bumpers. Some would sled down hills into intersections that had cars still using it. Kids used to die huffing Endust in paper bags 50 years ago. we see videos of kids skatebording handrails on concrete stairwells and worse. Kids are always doing something crazy. This kid's Mother needs prayers right now. God Bless !
"the kids had no where else to play"...? Seriously? The kids had everywhere BUT on the gate to play...
JR - That's what the neighbors say. It's a ghetto with nothing but high rises and no play grounds. You can stay indoors or 'find' something to do in the street.
I grew up in Detroit. I still knew better than to do play on dangerous equipment. Growing up in the city doesn't equate to growing up without common sense....
Apparently, growing up in Detroit doesn't equate to common sense either. Nor does it equate to understanding, empathy etc. And before you jump to anymore nonsensical conclusions, I had six kids, 10 grandkids and at last count sixteen great-grandkids. Do kids do stupid things YES!! Do grown-ups react stupidly -- YES you did!
I'm with JR Browenstein on this one. First, kids have to be TAUGHT accountability and respect. Accountability for their actions and behavior. It does have repercussions although liberals don't like to recognize that fact. Second, respect for dangers and respect for OTHER people's property. These kids should never have been playing with this gate. They didn't own it but especially since it wasn't safe.
Do NOT give me crap about how these kids have nothing to do. How many community centers, parks, etc do you think our tax dollars provide. But then again, we all know how well they are taken care of in areas like this. They are destroyed and are dilapidated because when you give people something for "free" they do not appreciate it because they didn't earn it or have to understand what it cost to provide it.
And as for having a holier than thou attitude. I'm the mother of 2 kids (14 & 11) who have always been taught that if they don't own it, don't touch it in a store, etc. unless they have specific permission. They wouldn't want people messing with their stuff without their permission it goes both ways and at all levels. I have also taught my children that their are consequences for bad behavior. They are also smart enough to know about playing around dangerous equipment. My 14 year old has been working on farm equipment for 3 years now and is very careful because all it takes is a moment for things to go bad if you don't pay attention and respect that the machine does not think. I have been told by several of the men he works with that he is a wonderful and careful worker. Makes this mom proud to know that somewhere I did get thru to him. His sister is just starting to get into some of these types of situations but we have electric gates on our property and although they operate differently, both my kids KNOW not to mess with them while operating unless it is strictly through the controls and NEVER the gate itself even tho they have safety features to shut down after so much resistance. I do not want to chance a malfunction and they are not as large as livestock for the gate to sense them.
That all said, my thots and prayers go out to this mom because she has lost her child and no one should be hard hearted about that loss. No matter how a child dies, it is always a sad situation.
yeah those gate are made well and a hand could not have gotten stuck so easily, they were climbing the gate playing some game as it went up, yeah figure stupidity played a part in this death. to bad kids arent smart enough nowadays, just just think they are invincable. oh well he was 12 years old you think he would know better. Sorry for the family. this is not one for them to sue when they intentionally did it on purpose.
What a horrific tragedy!
What's worse? If only he had been told not to play near it, this would've been entirely preventable.
Parents--it's your job to teach your kid what's a proper play area--and what isn't.
There are some heartless people posting. The decent thing to do is recognize that someone lost their life and someone lost their child and leave it at that. I don't understand why forums have become the breeding ground for callous and persnickety debates about tragedy, but they have and its really disheartening. Using this boys accidental death (regardless of how dumb the cause may seem) to comment on the parents is asinine. Not really sure how some of you can be so unfeeling. Even if you think those things, have the heart to keep them to yourself.
Every time they cover for their stupid kids/grandkids/great-grandkids/etc.
they expect another replacement for free.
So the gate started going up with no one watching it?
Maybe a car with the right sensor drove by. The article is pretty sparse on details.
Exactly what I thought! NO motorized lifting device should be left totally unattended or at least have a security camera on it with someone watching it. The other option would be to have a auto-reverse mechanism on the control unit if it detects a force being applied GREATER than what it takes to lift the gate (the added weight of a person) then it will automatically reverse the motor! THAT should be law! This shouldn't have happened. I would bet that kids have been playing with or around that gate for quite some time. Probably riding it and no adult was watching.
@where's waldo ,the LAW should prevent kids from climbing up the gate in the first place ! most likely they were trying to get inside to break into cars!looks like "Carma caught up with them" most likely they were car hopping the cars parked inside
From the way the article is written (it's MSNBC, so naturally it is going to be poorly written) the boy was rolled head first into the door, in which case his head would already have been crushed before the gate sensors could detect the weight of a person. It's surprising that there were no sensors on the mechanism to stop it at the slightest detection of interference. My garage door fails to roll down if a leaf interferes with the electric eyes.
His hand was caught 1st.
More likely it has a safety that senses resistance when closing like an elevator door if you stick your hand in while closing but there is no safety while it is opening
he was climbing the gate, seeing how high he could get. got the best of him.
Looks like the kids were playing chicken with the gate.
The law is the law and everyone is well aware of the LAW genius. Kids will be kids and not all of them break and enter. The issue here is safety and that a kid died unnecessarily. I'd hate to have you on a jury. If you've never seen the old movie "Twelve Angry Men (1957) with Henry Fonda then maybe you should. Your reaction to this story reminds me of a character in the movie, Lee J. Cobb. He was a know-it-all too.
@ Scales67---
"From the way the article is written (it's MSNBC, so naturally it is going to be poorly written) the boy was rolled head first into the door, in which case his head would already have been crushed before the gate sensors could detect the weight of a person. It's surprising that there were no sensors on the mechanism to stop it at the slightest detection of interference. My garage door fails to roll down if a leaf interferes with the electric eyes."
There are electronic controllers which work in conjunction with the motor. All residential overhead door motors have them incorporated in their design although they operate if the overhead door contacts an object which hasn't tripped the electronic eye sensors at the bottoms of each track. For instance. If you pulled your car partially out of the garage and left it there. Then went to close the door, the control system would allow the door to close because the electronic eyes can still "see" each other from underneath the car. But when the overhead door closes down and contacts the hood of your car another tork sensor built into the motor controller senses pressure because the door "knows" that it hasn't completed its full travel run to the bottom and returns to the UP position. A kid with a tricycle under it would work the same way. To protect a life.
In this case, a safety engineer could have seen this event coming. The tools exist which could have prevented this tragedy.The system designs already exist, they apparently weren't incorporated in this design. A poor design which firstly, allowed someones hand to be entrapped in the gate and then secondly, the electrical design failure. This death was needless.
@Waldo, Why change something for some stupid kid?? will there be more kids like him?? Darwin theory fits here doesnt it.
Waldo - In the cases you mention, the gate would have been coming down. Safeties prevent getting crushed under the lowering gate. In this case, the gate was going up - no safeties required or designed into the system.
Natural Law: do something stup!d and you can die, regardless of age.
Yes, a kid died unnecessarily. So what. His parents will have to deal with that. It was their job to teach him better. Hundreds of thousands of people die every day...this kid dying because he was stup!d is no tragedy...it was just life.
Precisely Brian. The same systems which disallow entrapment at the bottom could be employed on the upward travel of the gate. Over tork sensors or electric load, over current (in amps) sensing systems exist which could have prevented this. It's foolish to think that someone or something couldn't get caught in the gait travel up or down. The shear weight of the individual would have stopped the upward travel of the gate BEFORE it got to the top. It's a poor design and I think we all know what a field day the lawyers and law makers will have with this one.
A 12 year old dies a horrific death and this is how we respond?
And we have the nerve to call ourselves civilized? We are humans, but we have lost humanity. smh
Waldo - The gate is a standard design. The safeties you're talking about are possible but not required. Product liability has limits and those limits generally reflect safety requirements under normal use. Vandalism, is not a normal use.
Although your statement is right Brian, we all know how the system works by now. Head Lines in the News; Lawyers rush in to fill the void; More News; Insurance Companies get involved; More News; Politicians looking for votes or to enhance their career with legislation, and of course More News. So, in about three years from now, ALL roll-up gate systems will require entrapment protections by law as all the grand standing politicians; parents of the deceased; state officials and other newsworthy individuals, stand in front of the cameras, shaking hands; smiling and sign the new law into existence.
There is another article which explains what happened to this child. He and the other kids were triggering the gate and when it would start to raise up, they would hang on and see how high they could go.
You can't make things idiot-proof because those idiots can be so damned clever.
As a design engineer, we are constantly required to try to figure out all of the ways a product can be misused. Inevitably there are those who have found a way that hadn't been considered. Look at ANY product marketed in the U.S. and you will find that the first 25% of the owners manual is dedicated to warnings and safety cautions. The total manual includes about 50% cautions/warnings/safety reminders/etc. And yet people still try to blame the manufacturer when they over-ride a safety feature.
......"The best laid plans of Mice and Men".................
Playing around at wrong place would do that.
He was playing in the middle of the day and his hand got caught and was crushed to death. And this is his fault? Do you have kids? Better yet, do you have a human heart?
Ike - sounds like the kid was playing around a parking garage... that's not a playground. Parents should know better.
Its always the victim's @!$%#ing fault? you guys are idiots! This was a kid we're talking about. Devices such as that in a public area need to be accident proof so that this NEVER happens to anyone. With all this freaking modern technology, one would THINK it'd be disaster tested. Poor engineering design. and I am an engineer so I am knowledgable!
I am not an Engineer however I agree with Barbara and Ike. I am not an expert on New York but from what I have heard the space there is limited. He may have been playing too close to the gate however there should be some type of automatic switch to disable the lifting mechanism. Knowing that kids play in the area "the adults" should have done more to protect the kids and not the other way around. I am sure the kids have played in this area for awhile and this maybe the kids joy riding on the lift or him getting caught accidentally. I think the blame still falls on the adults and not this child.
Esprit De Corps.
Ike and Barbara:
There is no doubt that this is a tragedy. But these gates come with signs that clearly state "Do not play on or around gate". Having said that, I will admit to ignoring those same signs when I was 12. By that same standard though, I didn't blame "poor engineering" if I got hurt while ignoring warnings.
And Barbara, as an engineer, you of all people should know, NOTHING can ever be designed to be fully accident proof. And, glad you have knowledge of every designed system out there and can be knowledgeable on them all. (yes, that was sarcasm) Engineers have specialties just like every other profession, because one engineer can not know everything about every school of design. Rules that apply here may not apply to your field.
Barbara Ann - Yes, these types of accidents are almost always the victim's fault. Chances are very high he was playing on the gate when it went up and got caught on it. That is not a fault of the gate. That is the fault of the child playing on the gate, his parents for not supervising him, and his parents for not teaching him common sense. Your poor choice of terms belies your claim that you are an engineer so there is really no reason to address your ignorance of engineering terms since you wouldn't understand them anyway. The bottom line is this kid's mother will finally be able to move out of the inner city. Too bad she had to win the law suit lottery on the back of her child. Hopefully she will teach the rest of her children to play on playgrounds rather than commercial property.
I am so sorry for this families loss, my heart goes out to them in their time of grief.
And......kids will be kids. At 12 years old playing with anything is also a part of juvenile exploration of their environment. No one is at fault for this poor child's death - it was an accident. Only a heartless fool would call this anything else or blame anybody for its happening.
Not sure if it has changed since, but the news story last night said the boy was playing around and hung on the gate when it started to rise. The way they reported it, he had deliberately grabbed on to it, and either did not let go in time, or could not because his hand became stuck. The mother and other residents of the area were arguing that if there was a playground nearby, the kids wouldn't have to entertain themselves in such a way. Regardless of how exactly it happened, a 12yr old kid is dead and deserves respect.
If you read the NY Daily News account, the boy was playing "chicken" on the gate. He was "horsing around" with five other youths and climbed onto the gate. One of the boys activated the motion sensor. There were three boys on the gate...the other two jumped off and didn't get caught in the gate. This was obviously a dangerous game that the boy who was killed lost. The account here for some reason omitted these details.
Parental awareness would have prevented his death. Parents should know where their kids are playing.
And John44121, if he was playing "chicken", I guess he "won".
Parental awareness isn't 100% preventative. No one can guard against every possible danger. Kids will always do stupid things. They just don't have the mental maturity to be able to weigh the consequences. The only way a parent can keep a child 100% safe is to keep him locked in Tupperware until he turns 18.
No parent knows what their kids are doing 24/7. That's just ridiculous to even consider. But accidents will happen. This is just one of them.
We all had accidents when we were kids. Many, our parents never heard about, if we were lucky. I remember flying down a hill on a bike when I was a kid when the brakes failed at the base and I went straight across a 4 lane major road and slammed into a wall on the other side. Was that my parents fault? No. Did my parents ever find out? Hell no. I was bumped and bruised, but thankfully nothing serious happened.
Kids will be kids. This was just an accident. There's no two ways about it. My heart goes out to the mother and all this boys friends and family. What a horrible thing to happen.
I think that we all do stupid things as kids. This boy was not a toddler, he was 12. I teach 12 year olds and they are usually pretty smart. Our class just finished building electric toys to give away to kids at a cancer center, with minimal help from the teachers. I'm just saying this to point out that by this age, we all have the ability to make choices. We used to tell our mom we were going bike riding at the park that had a bike circle. She should not have had to get into the car, follow us, and sit there while we rode circles for a couple of hours. We were old enough to do that ourselves. We used to set up ramps and shoot off them on our bike. We learned that this was a bad idea when one of us broke his arm. However, this was not my mother's fault, nor the bike's fault, nor the ramp's fault. We knew better than that, yet we chose to do it anyways. This should not be a situation of blame for the parent, nor really for the boy. It is a learning experience that unfortunately ended in tragedy.
Barbara Ann an engineer? Too funny. I get it! Choooo! Chooo!... A train engineer... NOT even!
I am so SICK and TIRED of this whole "it was an accident" business....
There are NO SUCH THINGS as accidents. There are events of misfortune created by the negligence of one party or more than one party. This cr^p about "accidents" is for the simple-minded and character challenged members of society to try to get a free pass on screwing something up. It's a coward's way of trying to wiggle out of accountability for what (s)he's done...by claiming "it was an accident".
Accident's just "don't happen"....stup!d, irresponsible people do stup!d and irresponsible things that cause disaster or misfortune for other people and they want to be held blameless for their culpablity so they throw out the old "it was an accident" bs, as if the universe itself is to blame and not them.
When I hear a person say "it was an accident", I assume them to be morally bankrupt or just plain stup!d from that point on.
..accident/no accident, someone's fault/no one's fault....what i find curious or appalling is your cold heartedness...no matter the cause, a 12 year old child is dead...you have 4 children...had one of them died in ANY unfortunate way, thur their action or someone else's...what would happen to your heart..or do you think that just becase you raised them a certain way, the best way that you know how, that it COULD NOT happen to one of them? who knows what that childs life COULD have been like, he MIGHT have just turned out to be a gangsta...then again he MIGHT have turned out to be a wonderful, productive member of society...a doctor? researcher/chemist? ..the cure for cancer MIGHT have been inside that young man's head..it's the loss of that boy's POTENTIAL that should touch a person's heart..even yours...'everymans (childs) death diminishes me'....
this wasnt an blameless accident, this was an intentional accident something that was bound to happen. the kids were playing ON! the gate, they were hanging onto it to see how high they got, Im sure they were told millions of times, to stay off of it. these gate are design not to get clothes caught or hands unless you have BABY fingers probably wedge his fingers to climb it like a rock climber and the gate got activated, then the gate slam down on his fingers. So all in all the kid was playing on it. The gate didnt come out and just grabbed him.
Of course it was an accident. Kids playing around like they had since the gate probably was installed. This time one kid just got stuck and paid for it. Stupid yes, but that is what kids do. There are no accidents? What a stupid comment, how do you explain yourself then Brownstain? I bet you dont know half the crap your own kids have done Brownstain.
lol. The concept of 'accidents' were indoctrinated into children so they wouldn't expect justice for slights in an unfair world. As children, our society teaches us to accept and forgive the misfortune cast upon us by the negligence and irresponsibility of others because telling kids that life isn't fair and to learn to deal with it is "too harsh". Kids learn to accept affronts because they were "accidents" rather than hold people accountable for slights whether great or small because, as a society, we just don't care about holding people accountable for their actions. It's gotten to the point where psychopathic little brats deliberately hit, punch, kick and bite other little kids and then throw out the "it was an accident" get-out-of-jail-free card.
It's stomach-churning in its abject patheticness. We teach kids to learn to accept being victims all in the name of "accidents" rather than teaching them to not only hold themselves accountable for their own actions but to hold others accountable for their actions as well. It's deconstructing the basic moral fiber of society...personal responsibility and self worth.
Playing chicken with the gate. The gate won.
Read the rest of the story.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8650634
And so should 12 y.o. kids.
(#4.3)and I am an engineer so I am knowledgeable!
I question that comment. If you are an engineer you would NOTHING can be made disaster proof. You would also understand risk mitigation, risk avoidance and risk acceptance. Things can be made more robust, safer, longer life expectancy, etc but there is no way to make it completely indestructible. And if it could be who could afford it? There wouod still be lawyers that would find a defect in it when somebody found a way to abuse it.
To JR Browenstein....I just wonder if your children had a happy childhood? You appear to be absolutely unrelenting in your type of parenting skills and clearly lack empathy...how sad for your 4 children to have been raised in this manner...your comments all through this Vine are almost alarming to me...no empathy, and sounding as though love was left out of the equation of raising your family...a total and strict disciplinarian without a chance for children to make a mistake....yikes....
Teaching your kids to be personally responsible for their actions, to be smarter than those around them and to be independent of the lemming/victim mentality indoctrinated into them by their schools and society in general IS loving them; not teaching your kids self-worth, discipline and to have an independent mind and spirit is an example of what parents that don't love their kids do. A parent who truly loves their kids does everything to prepare them to be successful in life...not just hopes they get enough goof-off time. My kids have enjoyed a terrific childhood because I was able to provide them one...they would learn nothing about being successful in life if I were a slacker and taught them to be slackers too.
I teach my kids to use their intelligence to make decisions, not their emotions....if we all did that, there would be much, much less misery and suffering in the world. I'm raising men to be men, not lay-about n'er do wells who mooch off society and blame everyone else for why they fail in life.
Approx 53 million children (or potential children) have been aborted in the U.S. since Roe v Wade...no one whines about how one of them might have cured cancer. If this kid got himself killed on a gate playing chicken, I'm not going to hold my breath that he'd have one day cured cancer. He didn't seem to be all that bright...
As for what would happen if one of my kids met with misfortune...I'd be absolutely heartbroken. However, I'd be able to look myself in the mirror as well as my wife in the face and know that I did everything I could do to prevent it. I understand that life isn't fair and that some things are just beyond your control...that, however, does not excuse failing to try to do all you can. I would have a clear conscience, knowing I did all I could do and, while brokenhearted, would understand that this is just life and you suck it up and deal with it or die.
Life is so fragile. Who would think that playing by a gate would cause you to die.
Anyone with a shred of common sense...? Is this a trick question...it seems too easy.
Maybe if the article replace the word "near" with the more accurate word "on" -- then the risk would be understandable.
"Police say 12-year-old Yakim McDaniels and several other boys were playing on the gate to a parking lot on Lott Avenue. Witnesses say they would trigger the sensor opening the gate and hang on while it rose. The other boys let go, but McDaniel's hand may have become stuck, preventing him from getting off. He was pulled up into the frame and crushed."
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8650634
Police are taking the suspect gate into custody for interrogation .... grill the grille.
Unless I'm wrong in this particular case, every type of mechanical gate I've seen has numerous warning signs around them so this kind of thing doesn't happen. Why didn't anyone stop him from playing around there?
Because people are afraid to interfere with other people's children these days. When I was 12, any adult in the neighborhood had the right to tell any kid to stop doing something that might have been dangerous, and every kid knew we had to listen to that adult, or face the consequences from our parents. Nowadays, if you tell a kid to stop doing something, even if the kid could get hurt doing it, the parents actually resent you for it. Some even threaten to sue. So things like this happen.
agree totally with you flbikerchick........ thats the problem now days with society. hence why crime rate has increased because criminals know the that the consequences dont have severe punishment.
Y'all hit the nail right on the head!
flbikerchick...so true. The neighborhood I raised my kids in was like that. We ALL watched each other's kids and kept them safe. My kids talk about that to this day and they are in their 30's and 40's. They have wonderful memories of all the "moms" that disciplined them because they cared about all the kids in the neighborhood and keeping them safe.
Sparklystar, just curious how your kids feel about another adult disciplining their kids? I don't have any kids of my own, but my brother has three, and the crap they get away with amazes me, because I know WE weren't raised that way, and I don't think my sister-in-law was allowed to get away with much, either. How is it that today's parents seem to totally have forgotten how to be parents? I know of only one young 30-something couple who are raising their kids to be fiscally responsible, productive and respectful. Every other parent I know seems to be clueless.
Thank you, flbikerchick, for having the courage to speak up against the "how can you" emotional blackmail and parental narcisissm that is rampant these days! Parent today have lost their ever-loving minds! A kid throws a rock, hits someone in the head, and it's not the kid's fault. The "parent" will become indignant if anyone suggests so much as an apology. Some little brat jumped on a guitar that my friend owned and broke it, and the "mother" said, "You should not have left it there!" Don't like kids screaming and throwing food in restaurants, or running around like little hellions? "All of you child-haters can just stay home!" Etc.
Now, a child is dead, from an accident that was completely unavoidable. I guess it's more important, though, for the "parents" on this board to sacrifice his life on the narrow altar of their entitlement.
It takes a village...
So true--same was true for my growing up years. How sad for us today! Do you think we can somehow recover? Or get back to common sense and common caring? Sometimes I despair...
Any thoughts?
flbikerchick, my kids are raising their kids in similar neighborhoods and don't have a problem with their friends keeping thier kids safe. It's not so much disciplining them and keeping your eyes on them and being aware of them if they are being a danger to themselves or others.
Amused, I work at a private high school in California and am amazed at what the parents think their kids are incapable of doing! EVERYTHING is the teacher's fault, or if their child does deserve discipling we get calls because the discipline is too severe. It's not like we are beating their kids into submission....lol.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I was a kid, we respected adults, drank our milk, and never smoked. We were safe because all the world was absolutely safe for kids, and there were no abandonded refrigerators whose doors slammed shut when some kid jumped inside, no drag racing. Nobody was surprised when 27 people listened to the dying screams of a victim and did nothing about it. If you and your buddies wanted to go beat up a bunch of queers, there wasn't some fancy lawyer making a federal case out of it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mankind has been civilized for maybe 10.000 years, but its all fallen apart just since I was 12 years old. My parents always knew exactly where I was, what I was doing, and who I was doing it to. And my kids? Anytime they tried to get outta line, some responsible adult was right there to guide them into the paths of righteousness.
In fact, that pretty much is a one word description of me - righteous.
The world has gone to hell in a hand basket. Just look at it. Black people walk around like they belong. There hasn't been a good old-fashioned school closing for polio for years. Women were ladies when I was young; now they have the Pill. There hasn't been a decent river burning since the river in Cleveland caught fire so many years ago.
One good thing about today - at least the wars last a lot longer.
I tell you, it's enough to just make me want to spit.
Just for context - here are more details from the Gothamist. Judge for yourself:
A 12-year-old boy died after apparently playing a game of chicken on a parking lot gate in Brooklyn... A witness explained, "The gate is automatic, the car was coming out and the gate started rising."
The Post reports, "Neighbors said Yakim and four other restless boys were at the Lott Avenue parking facility playing a challenge game. Under the rules, the players would hitch a ride on the gate as it goes up, then they jump off. The jump gets more difficult as the gate rises. The last one to jump off wins." ... Then rescue crews removed Yakim, whose mother said, "The cops could have saved him."
The cars inside the lot, which is owned by Reliant Realty, have a sensor that alerts the gate to open when they are near... City Councilman Charles Barron said, "This community is sick of being gated - the company that runs it refuses to put up recreational facilities and tragedies like this end up happening. The kids have nowhere to play so the company is responsible for the death of this child."
And there you have it. The residents want to be safe, so they choose to live in a gated community. They then claim they're "sick of being gated," and the kids have "nowhere to play." But notice the ultimate responsibility lies with the company, not the parents, not the kids, but the company. Because of course, they're the only ones with the money to settle the lawsuit.
Did you see some of the comments below the local article? There are parks and a rec center in the immediate vicinity. Too tame, though, I suppose. So the residents will lobby for more exciting playground equipment, then some bonehead will get hurt on it, so the parents will find someone else to blame, and so on...
I have a 16yearold, 14, 9, and 1yearold. My kids are NOT allowed out by themselves in my front or back yard. Unless going to the corner store or school. When my kids asked why this is ? I told them if I am not there to watch them or cant be there to watch them then they don't need to be anywhere I'm NOT. My 16year old said that i need to let go a bit but i am a strong believer in people being responsible for their kids. Never the less this is such a tragedy and loss. God Bless this family in this hour of need.
OMG. :-(
Every one of us took foolish chances and paid no attention when we were kids, we were just goofing off or playing, and every one of us was extremely lucky that nothing bad happened. Why did no one stop him? Who would ever think anything bad would happen because of a gate. I hope his Mother finds forgiveness for herself, and I do not mean she was at fault. Her son was playing, she did not think she would never see him alive again, no parent ever thinks that. We all punish ourselves with should have, would have, could have. Please pray for the little boy, pray for his family, and hope you are never in a situation that people are offering prayers for you. Peace.
TAJ623251 - very well stated. Brings back that old saying... there but by the grace of God...
I read these stories and they depress the heck out of me, but even more depressing are the responses. Yes, maybe something could be done to the gate to prevent this. Yes, maybe someone could have chased the kids away from playing there. Maybe... maybe.. maybe. NONE of that changes what did happen. A mother and father lost their child here. Of course the parents will blame themselves to some extent. Any parent would. :( If there were any kids playing there with him, imagine what they witnessed. I'm sure they will relive that and probably blame themselves, too. None of these people will ever be the same and that little boys' life was cut short tragically because he was being a kid. My heart goes out to all of them.
As TAJ623251 said, hopefully you are never in a situation that people are offering prayers for you.
Electronic security gates, whether around private residences, in Homeowners Association Developments, etc. have ALWAYS been known to those who are accustomed to them to entail the possibility of not working correctly and causing major damage to people.
It is common sense that any such heavy equipment can malfunction and therefore,should be used with CAUTION at all times. They are NOT toys.
Forewarned is forearmed. Please be careful.
TAJ623251 ~~ Soooo true. As kids, we are just playing, and because we were kids, we feel immortal. Kids have no sense of 'mortality', and they do not grasp the fragility of life. In an instant, our lives can change, and life can be lost. Because kids are not experienced in life, they are too young to really understand that BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.
What shocks me, is that there doesn't seem to have been any kind of 'safety' mechanisim on this roll up gate. ANYONEcould have got caught up in this gate, even the attendant. Attendant could have been going under the gate, as it was coming down, and a shirt sleeve, a collar, a coat etc could easily get caught up in such a gate.
This is such a horrible tragedy, and I'm sure the family members are grieving terribly. I wish them peace.
This is one truly horrifying way to die, and I can't imagine the pain the family is going through. It brings to mind the 5 year old who was pulled into a wood chipper a couple of weeks ago.
NIce gang signs you throwin' up there, kiddo.
@alan
Who would be watching? I see plenty of parking lots like that which have no one around. Could have been one of those where people who have access have a card or code to get in, and there's a sensor for it to automatically open when a vehicle is trying to exit. Sounds like something like that perhaps. Something must have triggered it or it malfunctioned and started to open.
This is freakin NEW YORK did you see all the people out there when the cameras were on! People are qalking around and it was 430 in the afternoon. Another case of it's not my concern so I keep my mouth shut!
The kids playing with it triggered it to ride up and jump off.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8650634
another case of bad parenting. Why can't parents watch their kids??
And another rediculous statement. Did your parents follow you everywhere you went as a 12 year old kid? There is nothing in this article to intimate that the parents were negligent.
Stop playing the guess who's at fault game.... Accidents happen. Clearly this was an accident. Hopefully they will learn from this and put a better saftey system on the gate. A pressure sensor on the motor would have realized the stress on the motor which would either stop the motor or change the direction.
My prayers are with the family and the boy.
The boy NOT climbing on the gate would have caused this to not happen. He was playing a dangerous game.
And you think the engineers should be responsible for designing a security gate that is safe to climb on like a jungle gym? Please...it is not possible to completely idiot-proof everything in the world.
The boy was actually concious just before passing on, when asked what he was doing caught up in the gate he ws quoted as saying "Just hangin' around brah."
I think this is the stupidest comment I have ever seen. This comment is just asinine.
What's worse? The fact you stated the obvious that the comment was asinine or the fact you couldn't tell it was a joke.
@Jose- Oh I'm quite sure G-Man got that it was a joke. But I'm guessing that he stated that it was asinine because anyone who makes light of such a horrific story about a child is an ass hole. So, I think he should have just made it really simple for you to understand where he was coming from. He meant to say that your an ass hole.
Tragic end to a too short life. I am wondering however why his hand was on the gate anyway and why he did not move when it started to move. Things are darn noisy. Not like it was a stealth attack.
He was a stupid kid with bad parents in a bad neighborhood.
My condolences and what not but so many things could've been changed to avoid this..such as good parenting. Why would you let your kid play in a parking lot?
Jose why are you blaming the parent(s)? I am sure as a child you may have done everything your parents told you but the vast majority of us didn't. We jumped hastily and dangerous ramps, we roller skated behind cars, we drank from water hose, jumped out of trees, played football in the street and talked to strangers. You may have done none of these things because you were sheltered and always listened to your parents but I enjoyed my childhood. This little kid did something stupid that cost him his life so to feel better you berate the parents. I hope something like this never befalls your family because nothing is going to hurt that parent more than worrying what the did wrong or could have done better.
Esprit De Corps.
G-Man -
I agree with your premise; you can't blame a parent for a lack of constant surveillance and doing so is ignorant and short-sighted. Kids will do stupid, dangerous things as we all did growing up and sadly, some will pay a higher price than others for their actions. We can comfortably attribute this death to some poor choices made by a young man undeserving of his ultimate fate. It's unfortunate but people like Barbara Ann up above are pissing and moaning about people blaming the victim; clearly, it's his fault. Again, it's unfortunate that this piece of information is relevant to this conversation but in this litigious society we have to assign blame or the innocent will be punished for the accidents committed by others. I would bet that the building that used the gate, the company that manufactured the gate and anyone charged with maintaining the gate will be sued for this unfortunate accident. Even tragic accidents are typicallly set in motion by someone's actions; in this case it wasn't the owners or manufacturers of the gate company.
This is a very sad story.
It's simple "G man".
A good parent will have a handle on their child and will know where they are at all times. What idiotic parent doesn't? I'm assuming that these people lived in this particular residence? If so it's even worse that the parents didn't warn the child in the first place besides, I'm sure, well placed signs saying not to mess with the fence.
Yes we did stupid things as children that were against our parents will, but we knew they were against our parents will and, in some cases, learned the hard way. However a child taht young being slowly dragged up into a gate in a gated community? That means no one, absolutely NO ONE was around. Who lets their child out, un watched, in an area that has cars, motorized gates and the like? Bad parents.
At this moment...at 3:30 in the afternoon I can assume my child is leaving the school building to walk home. Now, should he grab on to a car bumper and get pulled with his skateboard and die..well, that's not my lack of supervision (being a one and ONLY parent due to his dad dying does that make me a bad parent?) it's his own stupidity for doing it. ON Saturday night he left the house with his friends. We live in a small Montana town but his friends have a trampoline. His insurance agent mother (me) told him that those are nothing but arm and leg breakers and to be careful. Did I have to go to his friends house to watch him? No, because I raised him to listen to me. If he doesn't and he dies is that my fault? No, it's his. You can't follow your kids to college to make sure they don't binge drink or drive drunk. This case is a accident and I don't think the parents will or can sue anyone. They will grieve for their son and that is bad enough. PS, at 12 my son was cooking, cleaning, doing his own laundry and walks and bikes to and from school all without my handholding. Go figure.
I guess Obummer will be making a statement shortly saying that the parking garage was acting stupidly for raising the gate. I guess an executive order will be issued making roll-up gates illegal. Obummer hasn't done a positive thing for this once great country he's only weakened it, his hope and change has brought nothing but despair.....Romney 2012
Its people like you that would politicize such a tragedy that convinces me voting for Obama is the right choice...
Your blind hatred for our president does not have to fill every facet of media or your life
@ MireVo3 - the FACT that Obama has interjected in cases like this...(Like the Martin case) is only one of the MANY reasons why I WON'T vote for him come November.
It is sad the child died...But many of you have missed an important point. Parking lot gates are meant to block cars, not people. Why was a child, literally, playing in the roadway? Let alone, touching a gate while "playing." I have to agree with other posters who talk about Parents not teaching common sense. This looks, (for now) to be a prime example. I just hope the parents don't sue the parking gate company or the business that owns the lot. It is not their responsibility to pay these parents for an accident.
I want a president who doesn't interject himself into any case. I want him to be as impersonal and unattached as possible, and I absolutely do not want a president who can relate to anyone's suffering black or white. Basically what I want in a president is someone who mechanically does his job without the types of unwarrented emotional outbursts this guy we got now is so prone to. I mean, come on Obama, stop stirring up people and just respond to voice commands like you're supposed to.
This year, dont vote for a president who is going to empathize with some minority group's feelings. This year, vote for a humorless, emotionally-unattached, autonoton
ROMNEY/Cyberdyne Model T-1000 in 2012!!
New York City an American slum story.
What do u have against ny
Spoken like a true idiot who has no idea what NYC is like.
cunical - According to this Forbes article: "And America's biggest metro, New York City, is also one of its safest; with a murder rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people"
According to this site, NYC is the fourth safest city with a population over 500,000 in the U.S.
If you look at the list for most dangerous cities over 500,000, you'll see my new home after NYC: Nashville. Believe me, there's a huge difference. I already know 3 people who have been robbed at gunpoint.
I just had to address the gross ignorance of saying that NYC is some sort of slum. NYC is nothing like Taxi Driver. Who would've guessed that Columbus, OH and Nashville, TN are more dangerous than NYC? So don't guess.
I am sorry the kid died, but this is a case of Parental neglect, leaving a 12 year old unsupervised. However, the store owner will be blamed for negligence, sued for wrongful death, and put out of business and/or jailed. This makes 2 tragedies in one.
a 12 yr old kid unsupervised ?? At what age did your parents stop watching your every move ? Let me guess, you still live with them.
Every person on here who commented about this being a case of neglect, I can guarantee does not have children.
The mother was at home, not working. What else was so important she didn't know what her son was doing? I have 4 children. They were taught to identify dangerous situations and avoid them.
At 12 it is legal to be left unattended and even babysit other children. How is it parental neglect that he was outside playing with his friends? Would you rather he be sitting in front of the TV or playing video games. This was a tragic accident, but accidents happen every day to people of every age. Accidents even happen in the home with parents there so if it was his time, it was his time.
My thoughts and prayers are with this family as they grieve for the loss of their son.
Wow, just look at these self-righteous and ignorant comments about parental 'neglect'. @ KDH4 - Unsupervised?? A 12 year old is not only old enough to be home alone and to play outside alone, but they are old enough to babysit. @ Bill, the mother had 5 other children. Just a guess, but perhaps she was watching younger children? Doing laundry? Cleaning house? You know, the stuff that I do while my children are playing outside? In any case, Bill, I'd LOVE for you to find out all the chances your kids have taken and dangerous things they've done that you don't know about. Kids do stupid things - even the ones on the honor roll.
When I was 9 I rode my bike to school and took myself to piano lessons. I'm pretty sure a 12-year-old can play with his friends by himself just fine. You know, unless he and his friends are playing chicken with a dangerous fence, then Darwinism is bound to take over. It's not parental neglect - it's youthful stupidity that unfortunately ended in death.
If your 12 year old is stupid enough to get themselves killed by a slow moving automated fence then that 12 year old is stupid enough to require parental supervision.
What's with all the defense of the parents? You guys in their family or something? It was the parents. Parents parents PARENTS.... a parent is RESPONSIBLE for their CHILD until they're EIGHTEEN..therefore the PARENTS are RESPONSIBLE. It's that simple.
Horrible. Prayers and thoughts to the family.
100 % THE MOTHER'S FAULT kid was outside and someone had to go get her to let her know. SAd thing is the kid paid the price for an adult's recklessness.
Yes, because at 12 all of our mothers supervised us when we left the house to play......not!
chris, you may keep your 12 year-olds under lock and key , but as a whole it is better if they play outside. And if you live in Brooklyn, then the places that you have to play are places like parking lots etc.
Gregorovich: The parking lot was NOT the only place this little angel could have played. A simple search would have demonstrated that there were community centers two blocks from the residence in either direction, so it was mom's choice. This is 2012, not 1952 when you could let your 12-year-old son play outside because neighbors hanging outside as well would have kept these boys in check--and they would have listened.
Sometimes I say blame the parents for the dangers their children fall to. This is not one of those cases in my eyes. The boy was old enough to be playnig outside with friends unsupervised, and seems to have fallen victim to a horrific, freak accident. A community center may not have been the place he wanted to play, or they could charge a membership fee his mother could not afford. Low-income and impoverished families can't enjoy the same luxuries so many of us take for granted. Yes, I say luxuries to things like fees for memberships, because they're not something we can all afford. Those of us who can afford them seem to forget that. When there are no yards and your options are the street or a parking lot, the parking lot looks safest. My sympathies go out to his mother (who is not to blame), family and friends.
Jackie6689079
Things like this happened in 1952. Dangerous machines existed back then, you know. The 50s were not a carefree lark. You had the gov't conducting chemical experiments on its citizenry, pre-civil rights, McCarthyism, et al. Why do people always bring up the 50s, as if it's some high water mark in our nation's history that we should live up to? It was awefully repressive.
jez chris, get a life
Horrible: Thoughts and prayers to the family.
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK
Dougner, I agree and I also think they have no empathy. There is something very wrong when the sheer tragedy of this young boy's death does not touch the heart. To write a comment is one thing but to ignore the loss and place blame is just another example of how society has changed. I always remember what my Mom used to tell me, "There but for the grace of God go I".
It's a sign of our times. Basic civility has been replaced with shallow rhetoric and unthinking partisanship. That kind of judgmental environment will make anyone mean. I'm probably mean. Go back and reread some of your own comments and you'll probably find you're mean, too.
It's a shame, but it's the way we are these days. It's the new standard.
Agreed TAJ-- this is an unimaginable tragedy-- I can't believe what some people say on here.
*pulls out wallet* Nope..none here.. *checks back of pants* Nope..not giving any there.. *pulls down bottom of eyelid* Nope..can't seem to find any there.
People die daily. If you want to go be a hippie and preach love and understanding beyond ignorance then go join a commune. Some idiot kid getting himself killed means a lot less to me then children being made slaves for a madman in africa. Or starving to death in somalia. Or the child sex slaves in India.
First world problems...first...world..problems.
"MEAN PEOPLE SUCK"
Nice people swallow.
Prayers to the angel who lost his life so young. Prayers to the family for peace.
Neglect? This is a 12 year old, not a toddler. Did your parents supervise your every move at 12 years old? Probably not. You can't assume bad parenting, maybe his mom had told him not to play there & he didn't listen. A horrible accident, my condolences to the family & to his friends who had to witness it.