I would like to note that hindsight is always 20/20.
That was kind of what my last line there was supposed to convey. As I said, we all make mistakes and errors in judgement. I just think you need to own up to it when that’s what it was, and try to learn from it.
Agree with those who say if you wanted to design a fence with the goal of tripped clueless toddlers, it would be tough to come up with a better design that this.
Hell, even stringing a cable or 2 across between the horizontal bars would significantly up the safety.
My husband, the safety professional, says the design of the fence is flawed (the middle horizontal rail in a safety fence is missing, and yes, that is mandated by law in our parts of the world, and most likely in the US, too). HOWEVER, the reality of the situation is that parent, in that place at that time, needed to assess the situation and do what was necessary to keep her children alive. It’s all well and good to blame the fence after the fact, but small comfort once your kid is dead.
That’s really the bottom line, right there.
I think it was an accident. The little girl stumbled, and was small enough to fall through the fence.
I don’t think you can blame the mother. No matter how many plastic plugs you buy for electrical sockets, how many locks you install so the kids can’t get into the cabinets, something is going to happen, and it’s going to happen fast. Luckily she was small enough her momentum didn’t carry her far, and I’m sure her mother will be more vigilant around fences in the future. But unless you want to wrap the kids in bubble wrap and never let them out of your sight, kids are going to get hurt. All we parents can do is hope were close enough to catch them before something permanent happens.
There seems to be this over-prevalent attitude that Parents Are Gods. Is it any wonder so many moms have guilt problems?
I think of myself as a diligent parent. Heck, my mother insists I am over-protective, and I could totally see myself spacing out on that. It would just never occur to me that someone would fall through that fence. Thank Gods I’ve seen the video, now it will be something I think about in the future.
Accidents happen. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to stick some extra wood in the middle of that fence, mom put a check in the “things to know for next time” column, and move on.
Like I said, I am glad that she at least came forward with the video, who knows how many people are being more diligent as a result?
I think it’s a subjective judgement, but that the situation is deceptively dangerous because of the spacing of the fence rails and the proximity to the edge. If it occurs to people that the fence will not reliably do its job because of its geometry, then they would be negligent not to hold the child’s hand. But if that does not occur to them, they are simply tourists at a tourist stop on a nice pretty day, with everybody sticking close together on the correct side of the fence.
You might say that a fence with a deficit that one might not think to consider is much more dangerous than no fence at all.