One tragedy turned into two for a Nevada family on Friday. The father was backing his SUV out of his driveway when his little boy ran out and was hit.
The toddler was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. But the distraught father stayed behind in the driveway of his Reno, Nev., home — and stabbed himself in the chest. The father was listed in stable condition over the weekend, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. Police did not release the names of anyone in the case.
She apparently wanted to see what Daddy was doing. But Donald Haslem didn’t see his 2-year-old daughter when he was moving his Jeep Wrangler from his neighbor’s carport. When he pulled the Jeep forward, he realized that he had run something over, according to a news release from the Winter Haven, Fla., police department.
Laysha Haslem was pronounced dead at a local hospital on Friday. An average of two kids die each week as a result of being hit by cars in driveways, according to Kids and Cars, a safety advocacy group. Summer is a deadly season, as children tend to be outside. Click here for safety tips and how to teach your child about the dangers of cars.
The boy had disappeared from his mother’s sight and was later found face-down in the shallow end of the outdoor lagoon pool at Kalahari Resorts on Sunday. Hassan Itani, of Dearborn, Mich., didn’t know how to swim and had been playing with an older brother around the pool, which is from three to four feet deep, the Associated Press reported.
Police are investigating the accident at the resort in Sandusky, Ohio, which is billed as the nation’s largest water park. In May, Ohio state inspectors had told Kalahari managers that the park needed more lifeguards and that “many water rides were operated in a careless and unsafe manner.”
Kalahari management said this week that staffing level on Sunday was appropriate and included four head lifeguards and two supervisors.
The red SUV had just crashed into an oil tanker, flipped and caught on fire on a southern California freeway. But John McDonald apparently didn’t hesitate. He pulled over, stepped onto the SUV’s sunroof and yanked out the trapped 3-year-old girl.
Watch the video of the rescue here. McDonald, 41, just says it was the “natural thing to do.” “It’s kind of embarassing to talk about,” he told the Pasadena Star News. “Because you don’t do it for the attention.”
A flat tire on the SUV may have caused the vehicle to careen out of control on Wednesday in El Monte, Calif. The driver and her 9-year-old daughter had gotten out of the vehicle, but the younger child was still inside, buckled up and screaming hysterically. All three are fine, with only minor injuries.
A five-month-old Florida boy died after his mother accidently left him in her SUV when she went to work, police said. Gannon Werking had been in the car from about 8:30 a.m. Thursday until his mom discovered him the back seat of her gray Ford Edge at about 5 p.m., parked outside an office building, the Treasure Coast Palm reported.
A passerby called 911 after he saw Stephanie Werking “screaming hysterically” in the parking lot, authorities said. The high temperature in Vero Beach on Thursday was 90 degrees.
Two-year-old Elise Nelms unbuckled herself out of her booster seat and opened the sliding door of the minivan being driven by her grandmother. She then fell out and was run over by a rear tire, police said.
Elise died a week after the June 17 accident, when she was taken off life support, the Peoria Journal Star in Illionis reported. She had multiple injuries to her head and chest.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that kids should not be in booster seats until they are at least four years old. Younger children should be in a car safety seat with a five-point harness.
Every year 16,000 children are injured in lawn mower accidents, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.
Most injuries– such as severed fingers and toes, limb amputations, broken bones, burns and eye injuries – are caused by carelessness and can be prevented.
“Power lawn mowers are dangerous adult tools, but many children, and sometimes adults unfortunately, see them as toys,” said John Canady, MD, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “Lawn mowing can be dangerous to the operator as well as those nearby if proper safety precautions aren’t taken.”
A coalition of physicians groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, has issued new guidelines on how to keep your kids safe while cutting the grass. Some of them include:
1. Children should be at least 12 years old before operating a lawn mower and 16 for a ride-on mower.
2. Kids should never been passengers on a ride-on mower.
3. Young children should be at a safe distance from the area being mowed.
4. Pick up stones, toys and debris from the area being mowed to prevent flying objects.
Photo by Tod Baker
Watch that child! Warm weather brings out kids — and danger.
A 2-year-old Kansas City boy was killed Friday when a Chevy pickup truck struck him in the driveway. The boy had been playing in the yard and died a shortly after being taken to a hospital.
Police said that the motorist was not driving excessively, the Kansas City Star reported.
The toddler’s accident came about when his grandmother tried to help someone else who had a car crash.
The 2-year-old Colorado boy was in a car with Grandma on Monday afternoon when another motorist hit a power pole. Grandma jumped out to offer help, and left the car engine running. That’s when the toddler unbuckled his seat belt and jumped into the driver’s seat, KOAA TV news reported. The boy put the car into drive and hit a street sign.
Grandma wasn’t pleased. She said she was going to tell the boy: “You drove the car one time, you’re not driving again until you’re 18.”
By the way, neither the boy or the other driver who Grandma had stopped to help were hurt in their accidents.
Photo by Subconsci Productions
Oh, the things that teens do to be cool.
A California girl tried a stunt called “ghost-riding the whip,” which involves standing on the footstep of the driver’s side while the vehicle is moving and music is playing. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old lost her balance, fell, and had her legs run over by her Chevrolet Blazer.
The accident occurred on Tuesday near a Brentwood, Calif., park where more responsible kids were playing a baseball game, KTVU News reported. Police said that the girl was dragged a short distance before she completely lost her grip on the car. She was badly injured, but should survive, authorities said.
One teenager explained the appeal of ghost riding to reporters: “It’s fun. You record it and put it on YouTube. We’re teenagers. We just kind of act upon what we think for the first thought.”
Read about other stupid teenage tricks with cars here.