It Was Just an Accident

I’m sure we all remember the tragic accident that occurred recently in Camden, NJ. Three young boys, ages 5, 6 and 11, suffocated in a car trunk. Having a daughter myself, I’d rather not try to imagine what it was like for one of the boys’ father, when he discovered the three friends in the trunk of an unused car. The three had already died.

It now comes as no surprise that one of the victim’s mother has sought legal counsel in a possible suit against the local police department. I’m not certain if the victim’s mother actually sought counsel, or counsel sought her.

In any event, counsel for the one of the victim’s family claim that the responsibility for the tragic deaths, lies with the police department. Counsel claims that the boys were probably alive while local police conducted their search for the boys, yet they failed to open the trunk of an unused car. Counsel apparently feels that if the police had checked the trunk, the boys would be alive today.

Here is where I for one, would like to step in and smack this lawyer upside the head. Is it me, or is this guy nuts? Yes, we live in a sue-happy country, don’t we?

Not to put the parents involved in this tragedy through any more grief, but why didn’t they check the car trunk?

I wonder if council ever thought to ask the family this question. Are the police responsible for checking a family member’s car trunk when children show up missing?

I think the police have more than enough to do when a child is missing. They cannot be held accountable for looking under every bed, in every trunk and up every tree. No, they don’t have x-ray vision yet. They simply cannot look everywhere. I’m sure they try, especially when children are involved.

We face an age where untold horrors occur when a child is missing. The sickest possible scenarios happen on a daily basis to our kids. I would imagine when police are called out because a child is missing these days, they instantly go into super-hero mode, knowing very well what could happen to that missing child.

Trust me, if my child had ever turned up missing, I would like to think the Police will check the woods, check the park, check the neighbors. I would not expect the Police to check my car trunk, for crying out loud. My car, my trunk. Even if there was an abandoned car in the neighbor's yard, I would not sue the police if the trunk of that car was never searched.

If complaints are actually filed in this case, I can only hope the judge tosses the case out, without giving it any air time. The police cannot be held accountable when we fail to check our own trunk.

It was simply a tragic accident. No, it should have never happened, and no one should be held accountable.

© 2005 kalyhan All Rights Reserved