Parade death stuns Scouts, school

[oldsm]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=f0031cad-63a6-48fe-acea-

099780d17651&headline=Parade+death+stuns+Scouts%2c+school

 

PORTSMOUTH A 9-year-old Cub Scout was killed Saturday night when he fell off a float during the city's annual Christmas parade.

 

Authorities say the boy, identified by Scout leaders and others as Thomas Fogarty, of Greenland, was run over after falling off a trailer adorned with giant cereal boxes. The Greenland Central School third-grader was pronounced dead at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, police said.

 

"It goes without saying this is a terrible tragedy," said Portsmouth Police Chief Michael Magnant. "As a police department, as a community, our hearts are broken."

 

Fogarty was a member of Cub Scout Pack 166 out of Greenland. As many as 15 or 20 other Scouts, all between 8 and 11 years old, were on the trailer when Fogarty fell, according to police.

Deadly float fall (AP)

 

The Boy Scouts Pack 166 float is seen in Market Square in Portsmouth on Saturday after a fatal accident in which a 9-year old boy died after behind run over by the trailer during a holiday parade. (AP)

 

Witnesses offered conflicting accounts of the fall, according to Mike Kaufman, an executive with the Daniel Webster Council. It was not clear whether the boy was sitting on the edge of the float or if he was walking beside the float, Kaufman said.

 

"It didn't seem like there was any consensus as to exactly what happened," he said.

 

Jeff Latimer, a Rye Scout master who was standing on the float behind Fogarty's, said one witness recalled hearing a scream. On Latimer's float, a child yelled, "Somebody just got run over."

 

The parade came to a standstill as emergency responders raced to treat the boy.

 

"As we say, a Scout is a brother to every other Scout," Latimer said last night. "We certainly feel the loss of a brother Scout."

 

The parade eventually proceeded with Pack 166's float in tow. Deborah Lielasus Tombleson, executive director of the Prescott Park Arts Festival, said her production manager and police made the decision to continue.

 

"It probably would have been harder on everybody to have shut it down at that point," she said.

 

Tombleson said her organization is "deeply saddened."

 

"Our hearts go out to the family," she said.

 

Portsmouth Police Department's accident investigation team and the Rockingham County Attorney's Office were investigating the accident yesterday. Police refused to identify the driver.

 

A crisis meeting was held at Central School in Greenland yesterday. Grief counselors will be there today, and resources will be offered to parents in the tight-knit community, said Cheryl Van Allen, a vice president of the Greenland Parent Organization.

 

"People are really a mess," said Van Allen. "These kids were all in Scouts together."

 

George Cushing, superintendent of the school district that includes Greenland, said police asked school officials not to talk publicly about the boy's death until today.

 

Fogarty's fall occurred one day after a similar incident in Freeport, Maine. There, a 3-year-old girl was seriously injured Friday when she fell from a parade float and was run over by the rear wheels of the trailer's dual axle. She was being treated at Maine Medical Center.

 

Police are urging anyone who witnessed the accident in Portsmouth, or who has video or photos of the parade route at Islington and Columbia (near The Bread Box or Dunkin' Donuts) to call Lt. Rod McQuate at 610-7531 or Crimestoppers at 427-1199.

 

Union Leader Staff Writer Riley Yates and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

==================

 

The Union Leader link shows a picture of the float. Sadly, there is no visible item for young hands to hold onto...

 

From the G2SS: The BSA rule prohibiting the transportation of passengers in the backs of trucks or on trailers may be tempered for parade floats or hayrides, provided that the following points are strictly followed to prevent injuries:

 

1. Transportation to and from the parade or hayride site is not allowed on the truck or trailer.

2. Those persons riding, whether seated or standing, must be able to hold on to something stationary.

3. Legs should not hang over the side.

4. Flashing lights must illuminate a vehicle used for a hayride after dark, or the vehicle must be followed by a vehicle with flashing lights.

 

My condolences to the family and to all those who are in any way involved with this tragedy.

[packsaddle]

There is nothing I can think of as tragic as the death of a child. My heart goes out to the family and community.

A little over a year ago I witnessed something similar, a very little girl fell under the wheels of a very heavy trailer in a parade. I was too far away to stop it or do anything...all I could do was cover my daughter's eyes while the driver unknowingly slowly crawled the trailer further up her body until people screaming at him caused him to stop on top of her chest and neck. Then he had to back over her again to keep from crushing her head. I knew I had witnessed the death of a child and while I've watched plenty of people die, this was nearly unbearable.

The parade was stopped in its tracks and cancelled immediately. It was reinstated the next year with strict rules of conduct to prevent this from happenening again.

Amazingly, she survived and fully recovered.

[bt01]

My heart goes out to the family and community.

[John-in-KC]

Please pardon me for being insensitive, but:

 

Why didn't the leaders of this Pack follow the Guide to Safe Scouting?

 

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss12.html#b

 

The beds of trucks or trailers must never be used for carrying passengers.

 

As always, policy of the National Council is boldfaced.

 

A "float" is another word for a trailer. From what I read, this young man was a free-riding passenger, not safety belted. Granted, most hometown trailers don't have belts the way the floats at the Rose or Orange Bowl parades do, but that's why the policy is there.

 

The biggest tragedy? This death was not necessary.

 

My heart goes out to the family. I hope the Pack leaders share the nightmares they'll be having with other units ... so this accident isn't repeated.

 

YIS

[local1400]

Scouts have been in parades since ? maybe day 3. Its a shame and I hope this doesnt put an end to this activity. It is one more opportunity to have your unit out in the public view. When a parent sends their child off to scouts they expect that their young'un will be safe. Lets learn from this, move forward and Honor that Cub.

[oldsm]

John-in-KC quotes the G2SS, Chapter 12 (Transportation). However, the same document in Chapter 9 (Sports & Activities) states:

 

Parade Floats and Hayrides

 

The BSA rule prohibiting the transportation of passengers in the backs of trucks or on trailers may be tempered for parade floats or hayrides, provided that the following points are strictly followed to prevent injuries:

 

1. Transportation to and from the parade or hayride site is not allowed on the truck or trailer.

2. Those persons riding, whether seated or standing, must be able to hold on to something stationary.

3. Legs should not hang over the side.

4. Flashing lights must illuminate a vehicle used for a hayride after dark, or the vehicle must be followed by a vehicle with flashing lights.

 

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss09.html#i

 

Note especially item 2. That seems to have been ignored based on my viewing of the picture. Certainly some sort of railing could have been constructed. I also wonder how likely an active cub scout is to observe #3...

 

We are all helping to spread the word by discussing this item on the forum.

 

[VentureRobb]

I am sure the scout leader is beating himself up enough about what happened do we really need to quote the g2ss to beat him up more. this is a tragity and I pray for everyone involed including scouts,leaders and family of this scout and we should all think of real life situations that are out of our control before we just jump up and start reading to people from the holy g2ss it would probably help us all out.

[oldsm]

The quote was not intended to beat up anyone, least of all the leaders involved in this tragedy.

 

The purpose was to bring to light that the rules BSA imposes in the G2SS, which we sometimes think of as being picayne or over-reaching, are there for a reason. Until I was presented with a parade float situation back in my cub scout leader days, I was unaware that BSA had specific regs covering floats. Who would have guessed? Also, my last post was to point out that the restriction in Chapter 12 is not to final statement; it is tempered by the float statement in Chapter 9. Otherwise, you could not have any scouts on floats or hayrides.

 

How long has it been since any of us have read the entire G2SS? Might be worth rereading.

[evmori]

This is a tragic situation. My prayers go out the this Scout's family.

 

The part of the G2SS that deals with riding on floats is not a rule or a regulation. It is a guideline. And it is not in bold type which I think we all agree designates a must follow thing.

 

I feel the best course of action when dealing with parade floats is to steer clear.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[FScouter]

Ed, what distinction are you trying to make bewtween bold type, rule, and guideline? If its in bold type we do what? if it is not in bold type, we do what differently?

[Hunt]

The Guide says:

"Bold type throughout the Guide to Safe Scouting denotes BSA rules and policies."

Ergo, stuff not in bold type is not a rule or policy, but is guidance. If you don't follow it, you're not violating a rule, but you're ignoring good advice formulated by experts.

In this particular case, though, the basic rule IS in bold type: "The beds of trucks or trailers must never be used for carrying passengers." The parade language is a limited exception to that rule, and I would suggest that you only would avoid violating the underlying rule by following the four provisos.

[evmori]

Hunt said it much better than I. Thanks Hunt!

 

My point, FScouter, is not everything in the G2SS is a rule or regulation. If you want, we can discuss this in another thread.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[local1400]

The Daniel Webster Council's website has been updated so anyone wishing to send something to the cub's family may do so.

[oldsm]

Here's a link to the Daniel Webster Council's website:

 

http://www.dwcbsa.org/

 

Thanks for the information, Local.

[John-in-KC]

Yes, Scouts have been part of parades since Day 3. I'll agree with that.

 

I'll also say Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers can ... walk or ride bicycles in those very same parades. Look at the young men who carry the banners in the January 1 Tournament of Roses. A few years ago, they were area Eagle Scouts... walking.

 

Thanks to oldsm for finding the parade guidance.