Saturday, November 9, 2013

When an Accident Becomes Negligence

Hello Fellow Bloggers, Readers and Passers-by,

It has been well over a year since I've written and I am ashamed of that. Having five children is no laughing matter, homeschooling them takes even more of my time and I'm in the last 36 hours of my bachelors -- I'm tired, give me a break, will ya?

In all seriousness, things have happened in the world that are beyond compare. School shootings, marathon bombings, crazy hostage situations and the list goes on and on. What I do find the most appalling however, is the fact that four legged creatures have become more protected and cared for than children.

LaVonda, you've lost your mind!

No! No, I say. And I can prove it.

In the last few days, a story has come out in the news about a little toddler. A four year old. For the sake of the family, I will leave names out of it, but I can tell you the event happened right here in the good ole' USA. This story is one of tragedy and heartbreak. So much so, that I am hesitant to write about it. But dad-nab it, someone has to speak up for the children and if the cowards of this country won't do it, by golly I will.

In a state in the US, in my own country, a four year old child was mauled to death and later died. Not by a bear! Not by a mountain lion! Not by an alligator. No. This child was wondering along near a fence in his OWN yard. He happened into the fence in his OWN yard and unknowingly became the main course for three, brutal and ruthless Pit Bulls.

Now, don't jump on the defense yet. I realize that not ALL pit bulls are dangerous. Any dog can bite given the right circumstances. However, 60% of ALL dog bites are Pit Bull related. Next would be Rotts and third Dobermans, closely followed by Chow Chow.

"If they are raised properly, they do not bite", "The owners must have mistreated them", "They were probably fight dogs."... Ummm, hell-friggin-O... This is a four year old child. None of these defenses will bring back his life. Not one of your many feeble excuses will right the devastating wrong that has occurred. Not even killing the dogs can bring back that little child... But it can ease a little bit of burden. Who would want to keep dogs that killed someone?

Yes, accidents happen. But as my wonderfully bright husband said, "they [the owners] had three loaded guns with the hammers cocked and ready to fire just sitting inside that fence." That little boy did not know they were dangerous. Why? Because he was a child. Trusting in every facet of the word.

So my question to you, dear readers, is this: When does an accident become negligence? When a mom forgets to buckle the car seat because she is running late? When a man leaves a loaded gun unsecured in the cab of his truck and it is accidentally set off by his child who is trying to climb into the cab (true story by the way), or when a loving child is mauled to death because his parents wanted to harbor vicious dogs and keep them in a fenced location?

The answer: All three are negligence. Knowing an accident could occur and failing to act upon correcting the situation in a timely manner. The woman who forgets to buckle the infants car seat breaks the law and is sited for it. The man gets shot at the hands of his son who will now face the memory of this for the remainder of his life. And the parents of the child that was mauled face zero charges as they begin preparing for their child's funeral service. *Side note: The dogs are not being put down as of this post.

My prayers go out to the family of this child. May Jesus (or other respective deity) welcome this little soul into their arms and erase all memory, sadness and pain that he may have. And may society wake up and realize, two legged, upright creatures are more important that dogs... period!

Until Tomorrow,
LaVonda