We're all going to Hell
As I was skimming the headlines this morning, I found the below story. Apparently, a pair of 4 year olds (one was ALMOST 5), were racing their bikes with training wheels on them under the supervision of their mothers in NYC and ran into an elderly woman. The woman broke her hip and died a couple of weeks later due to the injuries. The woman's children, on behalf of the state, sued the mothers for negligence. That I can understand.
However, it turns out they ALSO sued the 4 year olds for negligence. That's right, little kids. Apparently there's a law from 1928 that states only minors UNDER the age of 4 are incapable of negligence. The lawyer for the kids tried to get the suit dismissed but the judge is allowing the case to proceed. Not to say the kids actually ARE guilty of negligence, but just that they can be sued.
What is our nation coming to when a kid that isn't even old enough to ride a bike and might not even know how to tie their shoes be sued for negligence? You can barely hold their attention for 5 minutes! What if they said it was their imaginary friend's fault? While the judge may be correct on legal grounds, that's just plain wrong.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39905143/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
However, it turns out they ALSO sued the 4 year olds for negligence. That's right, little kids. Apparently there's a law from 1928 that states only minors UNDER the age of 4 are incapable of negligence. The lawyer for the kids tried to get the suit dismissed but the judge is allowing the case to proceed. Not to say the kids actually ARE guilty of negligence, but just that they can be sued.
What is our nation coming to when a kid that isn't even old enough to ride a bike and might not even know how to tie their shoes be sued for negligence? You can barely hold their attention for 5 minutes! What if they said it was their imaginary friend's fault? While the judge may be correct on legal grounds, that's just plain wrong.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39905143/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
Comments
I know the elderly lady's family is grieving a loss, but I'm saying a prayer for those kids and their moms.... :-(
Kate: I don't disagree with you. I think this was indeed an accident. I feel for the family, but I'm not sure anything the parents could have done might have made a difference.
As I mentioned, in general I believe parents are responsible for their kids actions until they've reached legal age (18). Certainly you can't hold a little kid responsible for an accident such as this.