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Dad Breaks Leg Trying to Cure Phobia
ABC News ^ | Sep 13, 2006 | AP

Posted on 09/14/2006 7:14:47 PM PDT by annie laurie

LANTANA, Fla. Sep 13, 2006 (AP)— It seems a father's plan to cure his daughter's fear of heights fell short. Troy Stewart and his 10-year-old daughter were on their daily bike ride about 7:45 p.m. Monday when Stewart, 31, suggested they jump off a 15 foot bridge. Stewart held his daughter Meagan Stewart's hand as they jumped off the bridge into the Intracoastal Waterway, authorities said.

"At first he said, `Do you want to do it or not?'" Meagan said. "I thought, `It's kind of high,' and then he's like, `Trust me.'"

Meagan made the jump safely, but her father ended up with a broken leg. She rode her bike half a mile home and told her mother, Mandy Potter. Potter called authorities who found Stewart waiting on the edge of Lantana Bicentennial Park.

"In his mind, he was playing," Potter, 32, said of her partner of 10 years. "But I don't condone his child's play."

Stewart was not charged since Meagan jumped willingly. Officials from the state Department of Children & Families planned to interview Potter.

"This is an example of what not to do as a parent," police Capt. Andy Rundle said. "And let this be a lesson to everybody: Somebody's tried it, and it's not a good idea."

Meagan said she was not upset with her father, but she planned to have a talk with him when he returned home from the hospital.

"I'm going to tell him I don't think he should have done that and you should have learned your lesson," she said.


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: badparenting; dad; dumbass; floriduh; heights; idiot; leg; phobia
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1 posted on 09/14/2006 7:14:50 PM PDT by annie laurie
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To: annie laurie

Meagan,

Don't trust him.


2 posted on 09/14/2006 7:16:07 PM PDT by bnelson44 (Proud parent of a tanker! (Charlie Mike, son))
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To: annie laurie
Officials from the state Department of Children & Families planned to interview Potter.

Oh, give me a freaking break. It's not like they went base jumping without chutes.
3 posted on 09/14/2006 7:16:18 PM PDT by July 4th (A vacant lot cancelled out my vote for Bush.)
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To: annie laurie

Damn...what a fool. Fifteen feet isn't anything to sneeze at, even if the landing surface is loose sand or whatever. Nevermind taking your child along with you for the drop. Sheesh.


4 posted on 09/14/2006 7:18:15 PM PDT by Mark-in-Kentucky
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To: annie laurie

Meagan said she was not upset with her father, but she planned to have a talk with him when he returned home from the hospital.

"I'm going to tell him I don't think he should have done that and you should have learned your lesson," she said.

Meagan should ground him for a month!


5 posted on 09/14/2006 7:18:26 PM PDT by operation clinton cleanup
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To: annie laurie
"This is an example of what not to do as a parent,"

Noted.

But -- just so I know -- going 90 mph on the highway while steering my car with my feet is still OK, right? If it makes my kids laugh?

6 posted on 09/14/2006 7:18:50 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The broken wall, the burning roof and tower. And Agamemnon dead.)
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To: annie laurie; Phsstpok

I jumped off a bridge(it was the famous Tallahatchie one) once, but it was "hold my beer" moment quite literally.


7 posted on 09/14/2006 7:19:41 PM PDT by razorback-bert
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To: annie laurie

If Johnny jumped off a bridge, does that mean you would, too?!


8 posted on 09/14/2006 7:19:47 PM PDT by bootless (Never Forget - And Never Again. And Always Act.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Of course!


9 posted on 09/14/2006 7:21:35 PM PDT by null and void (Islamic communities belong in Islamic countries.- Eric in the Ozarks)
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To: Mark-in-Kentucky

Apparently they jumped off a bridge into the water.

But it's still dumb. From that height you would hit the water pretty hard, and unless you know the area there could be submerged rocks or pilings.


10 posted on 09/14/2006 7:21:53 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: annie laurie
He should have taken her bungee jumping. For about twenty-four hours after I jumped, I wasn't afraid of anything, let alone heights.
11 posted on 09/14/2006 7:23:16 PM PDT by Gordongekko909 (Mark 5:9)
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To: annie laurie
Meagan said she was not upset with her father, but she planned to have a talk with him

Who's the parent?

12 posted on 09/14/2006 7:23:23 PM PDT by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 104-105)
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To: Alouette

Who's the parent?

It seems there wasn't one, if he was pulling a moronic stunt like this.


13 posted on 09/14/2006 7:24:35 PM PDT by darkangel82 (Higher visibility leads to greater zottability.)
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To: bootless

ROFLMAO!

Hey Dad, here's your sign!


14 posted on 09/14/2006 7:27:06 PM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
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To: Mark-in-Kentucky

Fifteen feet is like jumping off a fairly high diving board at a big public pool.

I suspect the depth of what they jumped into was a lot less deep than he thought.

Still stupid, he didn't know the depth, what could have been in the water regarding sharp objects.


15 posted on 09/14/2006 7:27:07 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: annie laurie

So did it work?


16 posted on 09/14/2006 7:27:15 PM PDT by RichInOC (...somebody was going to ask...why not me?)
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To: July 4th

Maybe he landed on a gator.


17 posted on 09/14/2006 7:30:29 PM PDT by irishtenor (We survived Clinton in the 80s... we can survive her even when her husband is gone.)
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To: annie laurie
This is an example of what not to do as a parent

Understatement of the century...

18 posted on 09/14/2006 7:31:55 PM PDT by pcottraux (It's pronounced "P. Coe-troe.")
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To: annie laurie
"At first he said, `Do you want to do it or not?'" Meagan said. "I thought, `It's kind of high,' and then he's like, `Trust me.'"

Who writes this crap> Is the author like, ah, like, ah, a like a Valley Girl.

19 posted on 09/14/2006 7:33:35 PM PDT by Cobra64 (All we get are lame ideas from Republicans and lame criticism from dems about those lame ideas.)
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To: operation clinton cleanup

"I'm going to tell him I don't think he should have done that and you should have learned your lesson,"



What lesson, hide under the bed, wearing your helmet?


20 posted on 09/14/2006 7:37:10 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (MAY I DIE ON MY FEET IN MY SWAMP, BUAIDH NO BAS)
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