What an idiot

[BD]

Father watches in horror as his four-year-old daughter is killed when SIX breeze blocks fall on her while he tears down garden shed

[Scott M]

What exactly was he doing that was idiotic? Using gelignite? Pulling the wall out to get a concrete roof down (as per a few months back)?

There but for the grace of god go the rest of us.

[Jeremy Nicoll - news posts]

Having a child in the garden while demolishing anything.

[News]

Christ. Give the guy a break. It could indeed happen to any of us.

[fred]

In article , News writes

Only if terminally stupid, a demolition or tree felling site or where things can go wrong very quickly is no place for a

4yr old eager to 'help daddy' to be playing.

[dennis]

Why are people dragging up old mail articles or is this harry again?

[Bob Eager]

No, this one actually is today.

[Scott M]

I'm sure he'd agree with you. But short of tying them down they have independent movement and pop up in unexpected places.

When I was 4, I ran towards the running prop of an aeroplane.

[Scott M]

This group's getting like an episode of Dad's Army.

This is *today's* news - it's on the BBC News website this evening too.

[Artic]

Scott M scribbled...

Are you attempting to transfer the blame onto the dead child? Parents have responsibilities and the very first is to ensure the safety of their children. That fool wasn't on his own, if he'd half a brain the child would have been locked in the house or taken out for the day.

[Scott M]

Not at all, that would be somewhat ridiculous, just an allusion.

The situation could have just as easily been "I thought she was indoors." He didn't know she was stood by him as it went Pete Tong.

[Brian Gaff]

Could this be the result of too much nanny stating in his youth coupled with no enough real life experiencing of danger?

Brian

[Dave Liquorice]

Which is precisely why small children either need to be supervised

*all* the time in a "dangerous enviroment" or removed from it.

No.1 Daughter tried to run across a road for no apparent reason, with out warning and near parked cars about that age. I got a hand onto her shoulder and I think must have picked her up with that single grip and deposited her back on the pavement at least a couple of feet back. Daft thing is she *knew* the road was dangerous, she *knew* how to cross safely. Young kids are totally unpredictable, curious and fearless.

[jgh]

That's a six-*foot* shed wall, not a six-feet shed wall. Sheesh. Don't journalists get lerned inglish no more?

JGH

[Tim Streater]

When I was 7, I climbed up on my father's arm chair, got down his bottle of lighter fuel, opened the door of the Rayburn, and poured some in.

[dennis]

I see its the findings of the inquest for one that happened months ago, that's why it sounds old news.

I think I recall a similar incident a few years ago too.

[Ericp]

They started the inquest today so they broke out the library footage. Cheap tv.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I remember when it was common to have toddlers in reins. When the roads were a lot less busy than now. But I suppose it cramps the little darling's style and leaves them marked for life. Yet you are required by law to have a dog on a lead in the same circumstances.

[Dave Liquorice]

Both of ours had reins for a short while. Probably no longer than 12 months, if that, from around 18 months when they had figured out how to walk reliably and could do so for a reasonable distance. They where also clipped into the push chair to stop 'em escaping without warning.

You do still see toddlers in reins or with a springy plastic wire wrist strap between toddler and parent.

Not half as cramped or as marked for life that a tonne+ of steel at

30 mph will do to 'em...

[S Viemeister]

We used reins with our kids. We also used the reins to keep them safely in the seats of shopping trolleys.