Posted on 11/05/2004 6:39:04 AM PST by TChris
Edited on 11/05/2004 6:45:36 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
METHUEN, Mass. -- A 10-year-old girl was killed when her father parked his truck in a pile of leaves in which she and a friend were hiding, the family said. The other girl was seriously injured.
Family members said 36-year-old construction worker James Gravel did not know he had run over the girls until he got out and heard daughter Natalie calling him.
"She said, 'Daddy, I can't breathe,"' said Gravel's sister, Jennifer Gravel.
Natalie died at a hospital of head and chest injuries. Eight-year-old Meredith Reid was in critical condition Thursday.
Police said no charges were planned.
Gravel's two other children, ages 11 and 7, were in the truck at the time.
+1
it must have been a very big pile for two ten year olds to hide in. think about it.
I hadn't heard it, but I couldn't believe what he said and I broke down sobbing. I just couldn't stop.
My daughter, when she was younger, used to love to hide out in a pile of leaves to surprise Daddy (never in the street or driveway though).
My heart grieves for his man
i'd rather the result be that the truck's exhaust system set the dried leaves on fire and burned the truck up. poor kid.
Well, my son learned the hard way not to park on a pile of leaves. The heat from the catalytic converter set the leaves on fire, which then spread to his car. They had to evacuate part of my neighborhood. Geeze it was stupid and embarrasing and expensive. The article in the newspaper pointed out just how stupid it was to park over dried leaves.
So, this is far more tragic than my case. But a word to the wise is not to park over leaves.
He should have searched, and you should have also:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1271130/posts
I think it would be very easy, but then we have a lot of trees at our driveway that we haven't raked yet. I just can't imagine a man deliberately running over his child, especially when the situation does not require that I think like that.
It can't just be a tragedy, it has to be someone's fault.
Maybe the dad killed his daughter on purpose, or maybe he hasn't paid a big enough price. Maybe he needs to feel even worse for every moment he lives the rest of his life.
OR,,,,maybe your comment was despicable.
If the truck had been running for any time at all, absolutely.
The area around Methuen is heavily wooded. Also, the trees are almost all oak and tend to drop all their leaves within a day or two.
If the wind blow towards his house (as in my parent's case) it's not unusual to get a huge (2-3 ft deep) pile of leaves against a fence or other obstacle.
I did, though not thoroughly enough. Sorry. (See 17 above)
I agree, see my post.
I am not saying the dad is not suffering but out of stupidity when you have little kids and you can't account for all of them maybe you shouldn't park on a bunch of leaves that are large enough to cover a human being...
been though metheuen a few times, will be going through it again in a few weeks. and whilst i agree that leaves do pile up against fences, etc., a pile big enough to hide not one, but two children has to be significant - even in methuen.
besides, if it's against a fence, why is he parking there int he first place? and a ten year old would certainly make a bump when he parked on her.
i hate to sound cruel, but it is a shame that his kid had to pay for his stupidity.
it can happen to anybody, but you have to be something to want to park atop a pile of dead leaves. if you do that, it would be handy to have the fire department's number close by.
i have more sense than to park on a pile of leaves.
God help you if you ever make a mistake, particularly one the ends the life of your child, and effectively yours with it.
I have lots of leaves, and I had little children who used to love to play in them. You turn your back for one single second and tragedy can occur. A child can run into the street or anything else.
You comment was and is despicable. When you are in a hole, stop digging.
There, but for the Grace of God, go I...
ease off a bit willya? we're all freepers here.
And she is right he WAS stupid. and it cost his kid her life. the operator fo the vehicle is responsible. if the kid wasn't in the pile of leaves, the truck probably would have started a fire.
parking in a pile of leaves is downright foolish on many fronts. he shoudl have had more sense.
Missyme is right - he WAS stupid.
pray for the child.
Oh goody, you are sensible and he was not. I'm sure he would agree with you that he was wrong, now maybe he will kill himself and you will feel better.
People like you are the reason liberals hate so called conservatives, and for the only time in their lives, they are correct.
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