Tragedy Strikes The Tyson Family

Another tragedy has occurred. The words "child" and "death" should never be used in the same sentence. I never liked Mike Tyson, but what happened to his family this weekend shouldn't ever happen to anyone. Exodus, his four year old daughter, was found unconscious by her brother, a treadmill cord wrapped around her neck. A freak accident, perhaps, but one which could have been prevented. It's easy to see how a treadmill could cause this to happen. If it was turned on, she may have had the cord on her neck and lost her footing. A four year old would never even be aware of the danger. Most treadmills have a cord that will detach and stop the treadmill if someone falls. However, it likely wasn't being used the proper way and no one was watching little Exodus. Her brother found her, after being told by his mother to check on his sister. The psychological trauma he must have suffered in finding and trying to save his little sister will likely be with him forever. The guilt a parent must feel for not being there at that precise moment is also something that will never go away.

There will always be dangers that children face. Basic household appliances, window coverings, or decorations can be fatal if a child is unsupervised. The cords from mini-blinds have been a culprit and have caused many deaths among children. Unfortunately, I know someone this happened to and they lost their infant daughter. They believed she was sleeping in her crib. They never had any thought about the cord dangling behind the crib which became a noose when she played with it and fell with it around her neck. How horrific it would be to find your child hurt or deceased from something so totally ordinary and, presumably, harmless. This is just another reminder of how important it is to know what your children are doing all the time, where they are playing, and what they are playing with. Kids aren't safe around pools, cords, or appliances that are plugged in. Make it a routine to pay attention to those things that surround your child. Get blinds with no cords. Supervise your children at all times or get a monitor. I think the death of a child is probably the worst thing that can happen in a person's life. We have to watch our kids carefully. We can't begin to protect them from the world if they are not safe in their own home.