Irresponsible Parents!

[orion25]

Long story so bear with me.

I took my 2007 Larson 208 LXi to the marina last weekend. I keep it in Dry storage during the boating season and at home during the winter. No problems towing the boat to the water even though with the trailer it weighs about 4600 lbs and my Jeep is only rated for 5000 lbs. After a few hours on the water I headed home with the trailer in tow.

While traveling down a 2 lane road at about 50mph (55 mph speed limit) I saw a kid on an ATV. She was in the front yard of a nice home and there was both an adult male and female in the yard. The front yard of this home was easily an acre. In addition there were 2 younger children (I would guess 4 & 8) along with a guy that I would estimate at 18 yo. The girl on the ATV was about 11 to 13 yo.

Well, I saw the girl on the atv and I figured that she must be stopping. Well I was wrong, she was going pretty fast and managed to go up and over a ditch that was about 5" high, cross the road and wind up in some very thick woods. While going through the ditch she hit some mud and I have some of this mud on my hood right now. By the grace of god I was paying attention and hit the brakes. She crossed the road close enough in front of me that I could read the manufactures name on the baseball/softball helmet she was wearing. I had nailed my brakes and the trailer behind me (with surge brakes) was doing a hop/skid/squeal number. The jeep has ABS.

I pulled to the side of the road and ran to check on the child in the woods. She was walking out of the woods, the atv still running. The lady in the yard beat me to her and the girl told the woman that "I was going too fast and I went into the woods". I asked if the girl was alright and the woman said"yes, she was going too fast". At this point my blood almost boiled!

I looked at this so called "mother" and proceeded to tell her that her daughter almost became a blood spatter on my windshield. If I had not noticed her out of the corner of my eye she would be dead. To this the "mother" replied "she was just going too fast!!!!!"

If the husband had not out weighed me by at least 200 lbs I would have continued expressing my mind (he was approaching by this point). So I just got back in the jeep and left.

When I was about 10 I rode my bike out of the driveway without stopping and looking both ways. There were 3 houses on the street I lived on. Mom saw me. She went inside, got a chair and made me ride down the driveway, stop, look both ways, and then proceed 50 times while she watched. This still sticks with me today. I always look both ways (even at 1-way intersections) no matter what.

I almost feel sorry for the kid I almost hit. She will never know how close she came to dying and will not give it a second thought the next time she gets on that ATV.

So, long story over, what would you do if the girl on the ATV was your child? I hope not what I experienced.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

I wouldn't put it past the girl to have a better grasp of the seriousness of the incident than her parents had (but that's not saying much).

So, long story over, what would you do if the girl on the ATV was your child? I hope not what I experienced.

Assuming that the circumstances were identical up to the point of the near accident... and if I were being totally honest, I would have to say that I would have reacted the same way the parents did... at least to you. However, on the flip side of things, I would have definately laid down some rules about not riding anywhere near the road.

However, there's no way I wouldn't have already laid down those rules, so that changes things a bit. Though it's not unreasonable to assume an older child is responsible enough to look after their siblings, I still would have been keeping an eye on them at least occasionally to make sure they weren't breaking the rules, and thus probably would have averted the whole thing altogether. But let's say they had just started to ride near the road and the incident occurred anyway, I still would have reacted the similarly to you, but then after you left, I would have grounded them all, and possibly woodshedded (beat) the older sibling.

PS - The main reason I say I would have reacted to you similarly, is because, well, what DO you say when a complete stranger confronts you like that? The thing at the top of my mind at that moment would be "is he going to pull out a gun and start shooting in a fit of road rage?" So that would limit my responses to whatever I thought might prevent such, and her response was similar along the lines of "it was just an accident" which would fall within that category of things to say that might prevent such an incident.

 

[seaman campbell]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

Sad that parents refuse to cherish what they have. We hear stories all the time about a child killed on an ATV. In NC they have made it law that only a person over 16 ca operate an ATV. Glad you saw her and stopped to avoid a tragic situation (for yourself and those irresponsible parents).

TC

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

If I thought the parents were deliberatly clueless, that is they were conveying that nothing was wrong, I probably would tell them I would be sending them the bill for anything damaged by the quick stop. Of course that would only be bravado as there is no legal standing on this.

This is an example of why I keep ranting on those who tow overweight. No one knows when the rig has to be the utmost controlable.

I am glad you are responsible. I'll bet the kid is doubly glad!

Hopefully she feels a bit more mortal. Lord knows we all are.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

I am an adult. The most important job that I have in the world is to protect kids - any kids. It doesn't matter if they are mine or not. I would have done exactly what you did. Good for you.

 

[Godsgift2drums]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

I commend you on being concerned for the welfare of getting out of the jeep and checking on the child as opposed to just saying, "stupid little ****" and getting out of there. The mother on the other hand probably knew that the child was wrong and didn't want to admit it, seeing as how no one likes to be corrected. The father on the other hand is probably some back woods poor excuse of a father coming at YOU rather than taking the four wheeler away from the daughter and correcting her on it. I almost doubt that this is the first time that she has done something like this. She should not have been riding like that anywhere near any kind of highway to begin with. I think i would have filed a police report or something of that nature.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

If I thought the parents were deliberatly clueless, that is they were conveying that nothing was wrong, I probably would tell them I would be sending them the bill for anything damaged by the quick stop. Of course that would only be bravado as there is no legal standing on this.

Actually, you could probably make a pretty good case for it if you had to.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

This is an example of why I keep ranting on those who tow overweight. No one knows when the rig has to be the utmost controlable.

Exactly! I wish this could be cross posted to the trailer forum for those intent on towing (insert atypical excuse here) beyond the capacity of their rig.
Good job there orion25. Way to be on the lookout.

 

[DrScoles]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

Its called natural selection...embrace it. This way, we won't be paying for their incarceration down the road...

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

If it had been my daughter, I would have handled it a couple of ways. 1. I would have thanked you profusely for being in control of your rig and observant enough to have avoided running her down and offered you something to drink to calm your nerves. 2. Assuming she was alright I would make her apologize to you for scaring the bejeezes out of you. And I would've made her write you a thank-you letter as well. 3. She wouldn't have been allowed back on the atv until she demonstrated better control and judgement (knowing I had already made sure she was competent to ride it by herself). 3. I would've gabbed to you endlessly about your boat, etc. lol
--
Stan

 

[zach103]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

i second waht stan said..all four.. the close to same thing happened to me and a buddy as we drove down a road.. speed limit was 45. we wer going about 25-30 just cuz we had to turn soon. well these to adults just walk right across the street didnt even look didnt care.. luckily we wer slow enough to slow down but not after by buddy practically pissed his pants.. he yelled "not smart" to the two as we drove by and they flipped us off and yelled some stuff i couldnt understand..

 

[ddennis]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

I had an opposite situation of yours a few years ago when I lived in NC. Obnoxious kid in (ironically) in a jeep speeding through a neighborhood constantly. I had even stopped him once and explained the danger of speeding through a neighborhood filled with small kids (not to mention alot of pets). So..after he came through one saturday morning, music blaring, abotu 70 MPH...My brilliant plan was hatched.

Off to walmart for the following items:
1. Life size barbie doll
1. Big wheel tricycle
1. box gallon ziplock bags
2. largest size boxes of spaghetti
2 largest size bottles of ketchup

cooked up the pasta and dumped into ziplock bags, well mixed with ketchup.
Tape bags to barbie doll. LIGHTLY tape barbie doll to "big wheel" and patiently wait his return trip through the neighborhood.

Here he comes....quickly hide behind side of my truck. just as he approaches I SHOVE the big wheel directly in front of him and his jeep. After the jeep comes to a (too late) screeching halt and he jumps out...he sees the mangled doll, crushed bigwheel and noodles/ketchup EVERYWHERE...he drops to his knees and PUKES. He flips out for a minute or two till he realizes I was laughing my *** off..and then notices that it was a doll. Long converation ensues...after that. He NEVER sped through the neighborhood again. His parents even came by and thanked me for "waking" up their son!

 

[avenger79]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

I had an opposite situation of yours a few years ago when I lived in NC. Obnoxious kid in (ironically) in a jeep speeding through a neighborhood constantly. I had even stopped him once and explained the danger of speeding through a neighborhood filled with small kids (not to mention alot of pets). So..after he came through one saturday morning, music blaring, abotu 70 MPH...My brilliant plan was hatched.

Off to walmart for the following items:
1. Life size barbie doll
1. Big wheel tricycle
1. box gallon ziplock bags
2. largest size boxes of spaghetti
2 largest size bottles of ketchup

cooked up the pasta and dumped into ziplock bags, well mixed with ketchup.
Tape bags to barbie doll. LIGHTLY tape barbie doll to "big wheel" and patiently wait his return trip through the neighborhood.

Here he comes....quickly hide behind side of my truck. just as he approaches I SHOVE the big wheel directly in front of him and his jeep. After the jeep comes to a (too late) screeching halt and he jumps out...he sees the mangled doll, crushed bigwheel and noodles/ketchup EVERYWHERE...he drops to his knees and PUKES. He flips out for a minute or two till he realizes I was laughing my *** off..and then notices that it was a doll. Long converation ensues...after that. He NEVER sped through the neighborhood again. His parents even came by and thanked me for "waking" up their son!

yo ugot extremely lucky. you could have been charged with wreckless endangerment, not to mention paying for any damage to the Jeep and possibly even therapy for trauma done to the young man thinking he hit a child. funny joke in a way but very very risky.

 

[zach103]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

haha they way i see it , it worked and he didnt get in trouble. yea i agree he could have and luckily the parents were on his side.. how did you think of that plan?

 

[ddennis]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

Saw a small girl down the street riding a big wheel on the sidewalk!

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

We have the same problem with speeders in our neighborhood. What I don't get is the street is only 100 yds long and it's all residential and doesn't go anywhere. The A-hole down on the end has two late-teen or early twenties kids, boy and girl and the whole family and anyone who comes to visit them flies down the street. The father ran over a dog right in front of my house in '04. I have had several talks with them and so have the neighbors, but they just won't slow down. So..... me and the guy across the street from me set up a couple of practice soccer goals in the side yard and when we have the kids out there and one of the jakaz's comes flying by....we're gonna kick the soccer ball right out in front of them, far enough for them to see it, but close enough they can't stop. You know how kids follow balls out into the street. Hopefully this will help wake them up.
--
Stan

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

Many years ago, there was a 20-something kid on the street where I lived who made a practice of racing down this narrow residential street at about 60 mph. He lived just a block away.

So a neighbor and I went down to talk to him. We explained about all the kids and dogs on the block and how he needed to please slow down. Well, he mouthed off to us and told us he'd do what he damn well pleased.

So we left. That night, about 3AM, I walked down the street (he parked on the street, the little idiot) and used my trusty valve stem tool to unscrew all four valve stems on his tires. I left them there, sitting in the valve caps, right next to the tires.

He was late to work the next morning, and had to call a friend to bring an air compressor over. Never mind that I had one, as did the neighbor who had gone with me to talk to him. He knew exactly what had happened.

He never sped down the street again. Nothing was damaged, but the lesson was learned.

 

[zach103]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

haha makes sense.. i don't do on my street and hate when they do it on my street

 

[TimBobCom]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

yo ugot extremely lucky. you could have been charged with wreckless endangerment, not to mention paying for any damage to the Jeep and possibly even therapy for trauma done to the young man thinking he hit a child. funny joke in a way but very very risky.

And that is exactly what is wrong with the world these days. Therapy. Trauma. Yeah, the kid needs a good trauma, boot up the keyster type of trauma, by his parents. Way to go ddennis!

 

[45Auto]

Re: Irresponsible Parents!

We had the same problem as CATtransplant. Ours stopped after somebody applied a filleting knife to the sidewalls (can't be repaired) of 2 of those $400 apiece tires.