Missing 4 year old

[HeeBGBz]

I saw this on CNNHN. Edit with link:

http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/1653826.html

Missing 4 year old out west. He was on an ATV. All they've found so far is a shoe and an ATV bumper. They think he is in a lake.

Question. Who in their right mind would let a 4 year old drive an ATV alone? I have a 4 year old grandson. I can't trust him to stay out of trouble in the next room, let alone with a motorized vehicle.

The mind boggles.

[Junkdrawer]

1. Yep. Neglect charges seem warranted here. But I bet the authorities...

wait until his where abouts are resolved.

[HeeBGBz]

2. Yup. An ATV, a river and a 4 year old...

What the hell were they thinking???

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. I know many parents

who let kids ride ATVs, often without head protection. At least one kid was riding one of these machines unsupervised, tipped over, and was paralyzed. Stories like this don't seem to deter people from letting kids ride, though, sad to say.

[Wcross]

4. They can always have another kid.......

Why bother worrying about what might happen, you can always have another kid. A big plus is you can sue some deep pockets for your own negligence and walk away with some money!

At least it seems like they think that way.

[SoCalDem]

5. Parents who "rough" it often let kids drive boats too

I guess they think that since they have been around those things their whole lives, they learn by osmosis:dumb parents:

[greeneyedpookie]

6. What gets me is why

in the world, would these parents think that their children are mature and responsible enough to drive on of those things. My husband and I have two and the one that he rides has a seat on the back that our daughter rides on. She is 7 and every time we go out for a ride, we all have helmets, wear pants and atv riding boots. My daughter shows interest in driving them, so hubby will sit behind her and adjusts the throttle all the way down to where she cannot get the engine higher than second gear. He controls the shifter and the brakes, and they never leave the property (we have 2 acres.) We know that she is no where near mature enough or responsible enough to handle a machine like that on her own, and she will be 8 in a week. This is a 4 year old. 4!! Male or female, it does not matter, the child is 4!! I hope to expect that there will be some major charges brought up against the parents! Makes me sick to hear of this, knowing that the outcome is grim.

GEP

[madmom]

7. we have an atv and it and everyone I've seen has...

a sticker right on it that says "no one under 16".

[greeneyedpookie]

8. It depends on what

size the atv is. If it is a 50cc, there is a "No one under 6" sticker. As the cc's go up, so does the age. Shoot, even an 80cc says no one under 8. This child was way too young to be on the atv. No matter what size of the machine.

GEP

[devinsgram]

9. Totally agree, my grandson

is almost 11, and when he comes to visit and goes outside, I have to constantly watch what he is doing. You cannot be too careful. Just too many nuts out there.

[stray cat]

10. I was under the impression the parents didn't let him drive the ATV alone.

He wondered off on it like alot of kids can disappear pretty quickly when someones back is turned.

[Junkdrawer]

11. According to the article...

he disappeared "while driving an all-terrain vehicle."

And the search found "a shoe believed to belong to the boy, and a fender believed to have come from his ATV."

[Junkdrawer]

12. A larger article from the local paper...with comments...

Story:

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20050806/NEWS/108060054

Comments:

http://apps.greeleytribune.com/gpcpolls/story-comments.php?sid=108060054

I found this one...interesting...

Most farm children have more respect for motorized vehicles at this age than other children who at sixteen are allowed to drive full-size cars unsupervised. Remember that this was not a full-size ATV, but only a 50cc size (not much bigger than the Barbie cars or Chevy pickup replicas purchased for children in that age group). Please be kind to the parents. They feel bad enough already.