Sometimes the consequences of poor judgment can be a matter of life or death.
The Fredonia families that chose to canoe down the swollen Milwaukee River on Father's Day used incredibly poor judgment.
From TMJ4:
Two families from Fredonia are in trouble after their canoes capsized in the raging Milwaukee River.
Two families took a canoe trip on Father's Day.
The water was too fast and they capsized in the town of Saukville.
Emergency crews risked their lives to save those 11 people.
Now, those families could face criminal charges.
All four canoes capsized in the rushing water. Thankfully, everyone’s okay, but now a lot of people want to know what these families were thinking.
It was an amazing rescue. Four adults and seven kids, some as young as seven years old all fell into the Milwaukee River during a canoe trip.
“It could have been a disaster. It could have actually been a disaster,” Newberg Fire Chief Peter Waldkirch said.
The two families set out on four canoes Sunday afternoon. All of their canoes flipped over, but they managed to cling to some nearby brush until help arrived.
It took two hours and rescuers from five different departments to get everyone help. Two of the victims had minor injuries.
Water on the river is flowing just as fast as Sunday. Now, some of the rescuers are angry, saying those families had no business being on the river.
As an adult, I wouldn't canoe down the river right now.
I would never include young children on such a risky "pleasure" trip, absolutely never.
Obviously, it was a terrible lapse in judgment. All four canoes capsized and all passengers needed to be rescued.
It is a blessing that all the victims survived.
Should the adults be criminally charged?
Yes.
Seven children were put at unreasonable risk.
Adults face possible charges when they leave children unattended in a car. In March, a man left his young children alone in a car in a Wal-Mart parking lot for about 30 minutes while he shopped for Easter treats for them. The temperature outside was 29 degrees and it was just before 11:00 p.m.
Bad judgment? Yes. Very bad judgment.
You don't leave little ones unattended. End of story.
The children on this ill-fated Father's Day canoe trip weren't unattended in a locked car. They were clinging to brush while the river raged, holding on for their lives, as they waited for help to arrive.
Is there really any debate as to whether the parents who thought it would be a good idea to take their children on a canoe trip down the Milwaukee River should be criminally charged for putting their children at such grave risk?
It's mind-boggling to me that it's even a matter of discussion.
More mind-boggling -- What were the parents thinking? Parents are responsible for caring for their children, keeping them from harm.
These parents put themselves at risk and their kids. They also are responsible for putting the rescue workers at risk.
The entire episode was unnecessary.
I think charges are in order.
6 comments:
Ever heard of white water adventures? Its called going on a river when its full? Maybe you could leave your little Liberal bastion, come out West and Charge/Sue everyone who decides to put a canoe/kayak/raft in the water when something goes wrong.
Maybe my dad should be jailed for putting me on a tractor as a child to help farm, because it was 100 Degrees out and I could have hurt myself or got caught in the baler?
This blog is the humorous dessert of my day.
I also was greatly amused at your comparing the massive loss of life in New Orleans to floods in Wisconsin. It was cute.
Thats the typical "Christ-like" compassion showing so strongly through this blog again.
Out West, do the white water adventures usually require "two hours and rescuers from five different departments to get everyone help"?
Obviously, the parents weren't up to the task of handling canoes in the Milwaukee River and its current during this massive flooding.
When did I compare the massive loss of life in New Orleans to conditions in Wisconsin?
That's ridiculous. There have been just two deaths here.
You may be thinking about my post calling for celebrities to bring some national attention to this disaster in the Midwest.
In that post, I was referring to the massive damage, not the loss of life.
__________
Did you know that it's possible to leave a comment and express your opinions without mocking me personally?
It's not humorous at all to place judgement on 4 successful,responsible,and respected ADULTS.
Especially when you do not have correct information regarding the incident. Obviously you have no knowledge or experience with the media, whom love to sound bite and twist stories to make them more dramatic.
The 11 people canoeing on Sunday may have made a mistake but since when does our country place criminal charges on people who make mistakes? There was not much mentioned about the 2 girls who went hiking in Alaska and had millions of dollars spent on rescue attempts when they just decided to stay out longer than planned.
Nevertheless, When you make such strong opinions about people, you had better know the facts.
For the record, 7 of the 11 canoers never even got wet. 1 canoe capsized with 2 adults in it. The second and only other canoe that went down was the one sacrificed to get across to shore to find help.
If this story really interests you, You should hear the real story!
Your telling of the story differs dramatically from the story told by the media, the rescuers, and Newberg Fire Chief Peter Waldkirch.
If the rescuers are lying to the media about what happened, then you should be ticked off at them. If the media are spreading lies, take it up with them.
And as far as being criminally charged for making a mistake, it happens all the time.
Haven't you ever heard a person who got behind the wheel while intoxicated and injured someone say it was a mistake?
Young thugs rob and murder people and say it was a mistake.
Of course, people are criminally charged for their "mistakes."
Do you know Peter Waldkirch? Nearly everyone who knows him, knows he's an ass. His statement was based off of the mere fact that he was inconvenienced on fathers day. As stated before, the media gets things wrong all the time! If you choose to only rely on information from the media, read this mornings release of the Ozaukee Press, where the vicitms tell the real story!
Criminal Charges against drunk drivers are made because drunk driving is against the law. So is murder by the way! Taking a family trip down the river and running into trouble is far from criminal!
Having to use a rescue squad on fathers day is far from criminal! Isn't that what rescue teams are there for? don't they choose to put their lives in danger when they take on positions such as that? What is criminal is the way that people twist words and events to make something into a story that is exciting while in the process are hurting the people involved.
Oh and no one has ever exadurated to make themselves look good either, right? (Peter Waldkirch)
Obviously you are a liberal who would rather have this country become a dictatorship where they decide every move a person makes. Perhaps communist is a better term!
Take down your stars and stripes and your boasts for freedom! You are misrepresenting yourself and our country.Your blog dislay is quite hypocritical.
Once again, know the facts before putting yourself out a limb, it's likely this branch you are on will crack and fall into the "raging" river!
Oh, good grief. Relax!
I'm not equating canoeing with murder. I'm merely saying that people are criminally charged for what they later call "mistakes."
I posted my reaction to media reports. There is no doubt that they are my sources. If those are incomplete or inaccurate, then that would obviously have an impact on my commentary.
It's all very clear. No need to hurl insults at me.
The media didn't happen to mention that Peter Waldkirch is an ass. However, I'll take your opinion into consideration.
Taking a family trip down a river isn't necessarily criminal, but putting children at risk, neglect, etc., can be.
I question your comments about this being a liberal blog. At a glance, one can see that's not the case. Communist? No.
Take a deep cleansing breath. It might help.
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