6 yo boy riding in a snowplow is killed in Aspen after falling from his father

[Bird]

We all hate to see, or hear of, a child being hurt or killed. But I still remember some of the best times of my childhood were things that would not be allowed today.
1. For some years when I was a child, we had no car. My dad drove a truck selling welding supplies, oxygen, carbide, etc. And we frequently went to visit our grandparents riding on the back of the truck. I fell off once when Dad went around a corner. No serious damage, but I reckon could have been.
2. My grandfather had a contract job hauling the mail between the train station and the post office; 8 trains a day. And we kids loved riding on the back of the truck "to go meet the train."
3. I was a boy scout in Marlow, OK, when we had an unusually heavy snow one night. The scoutmaster put chains on his car, the local lumber yard made us a sled, and our scoutmaster towed us all over town on city streets. And sometimes when he'd go around a corner, the sled would slide into the borrow ditch. It was a glorious day for a bunch of 14 year olds.
4. My Dad would not allow me to be afraid of a cow. He said to stay away from the bulls, but that a cow will come at you with her head down, and you can kick her on the nose and she'll stop. Yep, it always worked, but I only did it because I knew a cow couldn't hurt me anymore than what Dad would if I disobeyed
5. When our daughters were small, we'd go from Dallas to the south end of West Virginia in a station wagon. We wore seat belts in the front seats, but the kids in the back could lie down and sleep or sit up, look out, etc. with no seat belts.
6. I've ridden on the fender of my uncle's Case tractor all day several days while breaking ground to plant wheat.

And that's just a few of the "dumb" things we did without getting hurt.

 

[Egon]

I’ll vouch for everything Bird has stated.

 

[ovrszd]

Well, I can't vouch for it because I wasn't there, but I certainly had similar experiences.

 

[5030]

So you are going to kill the joy of thousands of children because (one) had an accident?

My Dad sat me atop any piece of equipment whenever an opportunity presented itself.

So did mine and I was running farm tractors when I was 5. Real common around here for youngsters to operate equipment and even drive farm trucks in the field.

I learned to drive on a tractor and shift gears as well.

 

[ovrszd]

So did mine and I was running farm tractors when I was 5. Real common around here for youngsters to operate equipment and even drive farm trucks in the field.

I learned to drive on a tractor and shift gears as well.

When I learned to drive the pickup I was too short to sit in the seat and see over the steering wheel and/or push the clutch. So I stood in the floor, clutched the truck, jammed it in gear, jumped off the clutch, stood in the seat to drive. Mirrors and fenders were considered expendable.

 

[hawkeye08]

When I learned to drive the pickup I was too short to sit in the seat and see over the steering wheel and/or push the clutch. So I stood in the floor, clutched the truck, jammed it in gear, jumped off the clutch, stood in the seat to drive. Mirrors and fenders were considered expendable.

Had to drive farm truck across field to combine that was full. The hired man had gone home to get some dinner and was not back, Pa was hollering to bring truck. I started it in gear, pulled the hand throttle on dash and steered to over to where the combine was. I turned it off as I got close.. Pa was upset that the truck was not in place to unload combine until he saw me get out. I couldn't reach the pedals and see over the dash so did what I could. He was proud of mine creativeness when he saw it was me. He moved the truck and unloaded the combine.. Hired man was in a bit of trouble for being gone so long..

 

[Jaylegger]

Been through most of what Bird and others have laid out. Read the article and apparently the father had two of his kids in the cab with him at the time. These spaces are very tight to begin with with little room between operator and controls, to have two kids on your knees seems to approach WTH were you thinking. Wouldn't be surprising if one of the kids inadvertently caused the condition which caused the catapult condition. The father handed himself a life long sentence worse than any.

 

[Citydude]

I come from a family where this very thing happened, except with a rotary cutter being the implement.

Justice for the father was handed out by the community. It was compassion and support for him and our family.

I get those who think accountability should be administered. It's one side of our human nature. The other side of our nature is to forgive.

 

[ovrszd]

And don't be smug thinking "something like this will never happen to me".

 

[wheelbuilder]

I don't think there's any worse a punishment than what a normal person would give himself in such a situation. I know a family who had an accident with a small child riding with Grandpa. She survived, Grandpa is not the same man he was.
Bad things can happen. I've done many things that others have had accidents doing. I thank God for my good fortune so far, I'm pretty sure it wasn't talent on my part.