Tuesday 20 November 2012

Don't Let It 'Pain You', Coroner...

Picture the scene - a tragedy in King's Lynn:
More safety measures have been proposed at a Norfolk town's annual fair after a three-year-old boy was killed by a car.
Awful, terrible, more must be done!!
West Norfolk Council has backed proposals to increase the number of stewards and barriers at the event.
Plans would also see the fair, held in Tuesday Market Place, shortened from 14 days to nine.
Councillors recommended that the fair was moved from its traditional Valentine's Day opening to begin on the first weekend of February half-term in 2013.
No expense must be spared! Set up the JustGiving page to pay for a lavish funeral!
On Wednesday 15th February 2012 at 5:30pm a three year old boy called Rio Bell, had his life so tragically cut short by a driver, as the Kind’s Lynn Mart in Norfolk.
But look at how forgiving the parents are to the evil motorist:
More than 150 people attended Rio’s funeral service which was held by the rector of Kirkley the Rev Andrew White and saw his white coffin enter to the R Kelly song If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of time.
In a moving eulogy he said: “In the time I have spent with members of the family over the last few days, I have been struck by the total absence of anger and bitterness or any need for revenge.”
Oh, saints they are, surely?

Cometh the inquest, and - although I'd forgotten the case - I found I was following a reporter covering it for 'Look East' on Twitter:


Hmmmm....


O...kay....


'Independent'? He was three! Not of an age where you are expected to be traffic-smart, which it why it's the job of the parents to do it!

The press couldn't not report it, could they?
“I don’t wish to add to the distress and anguish of Rio’s family, but the primary responsibility for young children must rest with those having care of them,” he said.
“At the time of this tragedy, Rio was not under suitable control or supervision. He should have been under very close and direct control.
“Under the circumstances, he should have had reigns (sic), been in a buggy or had his hand held.
“It pains me to say that.”
It shouldn't.

Perhaps someone would like to set up a JustGiving page for the poor bloody driver?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The name...the music selected....stereotyping is so dangerous.....

John Tee said...

The story seems (deliberately?) vague,but King's Lynn Mart is held in The Tuesday Market Place. Rio was run over on King Street, one of the roads leading into Tuesday Market Place. So he was either going to or coming from the Mart. On another day given the lack of care he could have been run over on King Street going to or coming from the High Street - so should all streets near the High Street be closed to traffic? Or he could have been run over on King Street going to or coming from the ferry - so should all streets near the ferry be closed to traffic? Or he could have been run over on King Street going to or coming from the car park - so should all streets near the car park be closed to traffic? And so on.

Anonymous said...

Bunny

Option look after your children, hold little Rio's hand, it is not difficult. Why inflict a name like Rio on a child, useless bastards.

DJ said...

I'm with ranter. That boat was sunk the moment it went down the slipway.

Still, tis an ill wind and all that, the Welfare-Education complex has another excuse to gouge and bully the people with jobs, so there is that.

John Pickworth said...

Haven't you heard? Parental responsibility is soooooooo last century. I blame Blair, as I do for most things, but its pretty hard to escape the fact a lot of this crap started around the time he and his ilk landed in Government.

By the way, great reasoning from the Council. The fair started on Valentine's day and the poor child meets maker the next day... so to avoid any such future tragedy they've ordered the fair be "shortened from 14 days to nine". Its gems like that which make all the money we give them seem such great value. Not!

JuliaM said...

"The name...the music selected....stereotyping is so dangerous....."

Oh, c'mon, we're all thinking it!

"...so should all streets near the High Street be closed to traffic?"

Well, quite - this is just another 'OMG! We must do something!' kneejerk from the council.

"... the Welfare-Education complex has another excuse to gouge and bully the people with jobs, so there is that."

They'd be better off sterilising the parents, but turkey's don't vote for Christmas...

JuliaM said...

"...but its pretty hard to escape the fact a lot of this crap started around the time he and his ilk landed in Government."

Well, yes. But the Major government sowed a lot of the seeds. They merely started growing when Tony fertilised the fields.