Accident or neglect?

Question

Over this past weekend, there was a 2 year old girl that drown in a 4 foot deep pool during a party. This party was supposed to be for an 11 year old girl, but pretty much turned into a drunk fest for the adults. Well, the 2 year old climbed up the ladder to the pool and she was found face down later on. She was pronounced dead. Now... keep in mind that there was a total of about 50 people there. Would you consider this child neglect or just a horrible accident?

My opinion: First of all.... when the kids were finished swimming, someone should've took the ladder out. Second, if you plan on drinking, you shouldn't bring your 2 year old anyway. Third.... 50 people there and nobody could keep their eye on the child? Plus, I heard the mother was drunk out of her mind and possibly did drugs also. Yes, accidents DO happen, but in this case.... I believe it's totally neglect.

Last I heard, they were going to do an autopsy and if there is water in the lungs AND stomach, then it will be ruled as neglect because it obviously means she was in there way too long and someone should've noticed! How horrible this is....

Answer 1

I agree w/ you 100%. What happened to alcohol free parties? This was a KIDS party mind you. You telling me that these people can not attend a child's party w/out drinking? Yes they could, but they choose not too. Too many times has this been done that they become careless. Thinking that no one will get hurt. Sad to say even w/ this accident the beer will still be there at the next child's party. I know people like this, been to parties where this has happened. You have the children running around unsupervised while the parents are taking drink after drink. They expect others to watch their children for them so they can party. I mean that's why they came, right? So here I am watching them, reminding these parents that they have kids to look after. It annoys me to see this. I just wish some parents would grow up and realize that life isn't about always partying. Their children are the best thing they have in life and yet many dont even realize that.

Answer 2

In this case - neglect. Partying was obviously a priority.

Accidents do happen, and when there are many people around, we as parents can think "well someone is watching." Never at a pool, thank God, but I've done it and found my daughter jumping on bed at a house with hard tile floor at 20 months - that was a skull fracture or worse waiting to happen.

Having a drink or two is fine, DRUNK? DRUGS? totally neglect and abuse... how were they planning on getting home too?? Child Services would have taken the child into custody if the parents had been pulled over on the way home and failed sobriety tests.

Answer 3

Pools and toddlers are an accident waiting to happen. Small children drown in them constantly. The mom went their knowing this potential and therefore should have made the decision either not to drink and/or do drugs or to leave her child elsewhere. Unfortunately she probably has a problem with drugs and that poor child has probably continually been put in harms way simply because the mom was not in the frame of mind to pay full attention to what she was doing. But it does not justify why no other adult at the party had any idea this kid was near the pool unless they were all drinking and doing drugs. If that is the kind of party you want to have, then you should not allow children there if no one is going to be in the frame of mind to watch them. Whoever had the party knew there would be kids there and that is very risky when all this drinking is going on. They should have thought about this when they had the party and made some rules, have someone who is not drinking to sit poolside, or not allow children. But ultimately it is the parents responsibility to watch your children especially when you are in an environment where you know there is a possibility for injury. But when you are a drug addict nothing else matters to you and with a parent like that if it wasn't the pool it would have been running into trafffic or falling off something because she probably is continually under supervised. It is sad a poor little child pays for their parents problems. I would never leave my toddler anywhere near a pool, but I would never drink and do drugs while trying to supervise a child either. This is so sad.

Answer 4

My opinion is that it was an accident. I was in a similar situation when I was a child. We were at a family reunion and all the kids were playing together out in the country. All the parents were in one spot and the kids were running around playing. Sometime during the day my 2 year old cousin wandered off and when lunch time came she was no where to be found. Everyone started hunting for her and about an hour later she was found. She had fallen into an abandoned well behind the barn and drowned. It was a horrible tragedy but it was also an accident. So unless you keep your child on a leash right by your side things can happen even in a large group of people.

Answer 5

Very much neglect. The parents of that child should have decided which one could drink and which one would keep an eye out for the YOUNG child. Also the people who had the party should have absolutely took the ladder out of the pool. I have a pool and a GATE to make sure nothing like this happens at our house. I have two 4 year olds and this makes me sick!!

Answer 6

Last week here in Georgia, a 5 yr old girl with Down's Syndrome wandered into a neighbor's yard and was killed by a Rottweiler. The dog was properly restrained and the owner of the dog will not be charged. The dog is being put down. The mother is being charged with involuntary manslaughter because she admitted she had been using meth until 3 a.m. that morning. So yes, it is neglect. I would be surprised if the child's mother or whoever took the child to the party isn't charged.

Answer 7

I agree with you.
I have a three yr old. I don't drink but if i can see him for a min i go look for hi and with a pool i would never let him leave me at all. I am taking a CPR class right now and the teacher said when a child goes missing and there is a pool look at the pool 1st. I also think when there is a childs b-day that parents should put the child 1st and not drink. This is the hosts fault. Its a sad thing to happen.

Answer 8

Yes it's neglect. First of all, when you have a child their your flesh and blood and your life. Why would you get wasted right in front of them? First of all their setting a bad examply for their kids, and second of all wha the heck were they thinking! It's a 2 year old! When I was 2 my mom got in the pool with me, thats good because you keep an eye on your kid and you're having fun. It's a responsibility when you have kids. People like that shouldn't have kids. It just isn't right.

-Emma

P.S. I'm an 11 year old too and this came from me =]

Answer 9

OMG...I would never drink w/ my son around just b/c I am afraid of stuff like that happening...I dont drink often, but even if I want one glass of wine or something I make sure there is someone w/ me to help w/ my son b/c if an accident happened I would not want to drive or anything...or my son is w/ my mom or my mil....ITs called being a responsible adult!!! These adults were not resposible...it is just sad to think that a little girl had to loose her life over this! Plus if the party was for an eleven yr old why did they bring alcohol in the first place? Seems that no one was using their brains...I would not want my eleven yr old going to a birthday party when there will be alcohol around!! That is just Crazy to think that adults can behave this way!

Answer 10

When water is involved and young children are present, you have to be vigilant. How tragic. I think the owner of the house should be charged, as well as the mother. If you have a pool-- even a kiddie pool-- you are taking on the responsibility of making sure children do not get hurt.

Last summer we had a kiddie pool-- maybe 2 feet deep, if that-- and we ALWAYS emptied it at night. I wouldn't take a chance that when we were sleeping some child might find their way to it. Shame on these people.