Neighbors Tractor accident

[farmgirl19]

dragon; I have been active and a doer, all of my life. If I die tomorrow, I'll have no regrets. (I hope that I have many more years though.) I have done everything that I set out to do, although would like to do more. But not being able to actually live and partake of life, is my biggest fear. Dying is not.

I understand love, and wanting to have someone with you, but the thought of being a burden on someone you love, might be more than some of us can stand. And I'd be no good confined to one room, not being able to enjoy smiling and sharing that smile, even on my worst days.

If I am not able to do more than exist, I really don't want to exist. But I think it is wonderful that you love your wife so much you can't bear that though. i do hope that you love her enough to honor her wishes, should that time ever come. Best thing is we die in our sleep, or doing what we enjoy.

 

[farmgirl19]

I suppose it depends on your mental attitude, I know a lot of disabled people who live pretty full lives and quite a few are TBN members.

That isn't just existing. That is still living. Totally different. A full life is wonderful. I am not talking "disability" here, but rather, just existing.

 

[TripleR]

That isn't just existing. That is still living. Totally different. A full life is wonderful. I am not talking "disability" here, but rather, just existing.

Definitions do get confusing.

 

[big bubba]

the age "limit" issue is a very important one. guess when the public safety at large is at risk, regulations, limits, tests, definitely should come into play when determining an age limit to operating a vehicle on public highways. when it comes to tractors & private property, no doubt it get's dicey. hopefully, the 'ol timer has family that help makes the decision if the operator cannot decide for them self . if the aged operator resists & insists on tractor work when their capabilities are obviously in question.......well, go back to the days when you raised an adolescent & draw from experience! life is all about accepting the particular stage we find ourselves. if we cannot accept that, then hopefully we have others around us coming to our aid.

 

[cqaigy2]

the age "limit" issue is a very important one. guess when the public safety at large is at risk, regulations, limits, tests, definitely should come into play when determining an age limit to operating a vehicle on public highways. when it comes to tractors & private property, no doubt it get's dicey. hopefully, the 'ol timer has family that help makes the decision if the operator cannot decide for them self . if the aged operator resists & insists on tractor work when their capabilities are obviously in question.......well, go back to the days when you raised an adolescent & draw from experience! life is all about accepting the particular stage we find ourselves. if we cannot accept that, then hopefully we have others around us coming to our aid.

That's a good point and my Nephew is a good candidate, he's 24 years old and insisted on getting two DUI's and drive with suspended license.

 

[dragoneggs]

dragon; I have been active and a doer, all of my life. If I die tomorrow, I'll have no regrets. (I hope that I have many more years though.) I have done everything that I set out to do, although would like to do more. But not being able to actually live and partake of life, is my biggest fear. Dying is not.

I understand love, and wanting to have someone with you, but the thought of being a burden on someone you love, might be more than some of us can stand. And I'd be no good confined to one room, not being able to enjoy smiling and sharing that smile, even on my worst days.

If I am not able to do more than exist, I really don't want to exist. But I think it is wonderful that you love your wife so much you can't bear that though. i do hope that you love her enough to honor her wishes, should that time ever come. Best thing is we die in our sleep, or doing what we enjoy.

Farmgirl... we are on the same page.

 

[smilinjak]

Not sure that 84 year olds belong on a tractor.

The man was doing fine while he was on the tractor it was when he got off that he had a problem. I wish him well and a speedy recovery.
Smilinjak

 

[Sysop]

Unfortunately making a bad decision isn't limited to just the old or just the young, it's not really limited at all. We all make choices that can result in any number of outcomes that are unintended. You can't waste your life worrying, or making decisions for someone else that makes them unhappy just because of some bad thing we fear might happen. It may never happen. There are things in and around our lives we may be able to "take control of", but that doesn't mean we should. We should each live and let live, and in love we deal with whatever the consequences are together. I realize it's a life and death situation out on the roadways, but remains a life or death situation whether you take young and elderly operators out of the equation too; it's called life and has risks, we do our best and try not to repeat the mistakes of others ourselves. We can't and shouldn't try to "control" the mistakes others make; the best we can do is offer some caring advice, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.

 

[TomSeller]

I know more 20 something's that do this sort of thing than 80 something's. Does that mean 20 something's don't deserve to be on a tractor?

 

[dave1949]

We do control the mistakes others make all the time. We fire people who represent a risk to an organization, we put people in jail for mistakes of judgement. To say that the elderly deserve a free pass on the public's judgement makes no sense. I don't expect those with early signs of dementia to always make good judgments on their own, for example. Cognitive impairment can be measured. Standards can be applied both physical and mental.

Every person is an individual case and set of circumstances, but elderly people often share some traits. One of those is the will to keep living as they have. Taking away their driving on public roads is taking away a big chunk of their independence in rural/suburban areas where no good alternative transportation options exist.

There are two facets to age-impaired driver accidents: they suffer more serious and lasting injuries to themselves due to general frailness, and they may cause injury to others. Both can be avoided by keeping impaired drivers off the road, and I think the general public has a legitimate interest in both cases.