In a previous post I discussed how different parents react differently when faced with emergency situations. Some moms and dads act cool as cucumbers during a crisis while others are apt to have heart attacks on the spot.
Earlier today I received a link from a reader that further proved the point I was trying to make in my previous piece. It featured the story of an Oregon dad, who recently became separated from his two-year-old daughter, when he decided to ride a commuter train.
According to news reports, last weekend, Kevin James was riding his bike and pulling a stroller-trailer with his toddler daughter inside when he decided to take Portland’s MAX train. However, in order for James to fit the bike and trailer on the train he had to disconnect the two on the platform.
When the train arrived, James reportedly put his bike and his daughter on board and turned to lift the stroller-trailer on, but before he could get it in, the MAX’s doors started to close.
The dad told local news reporters that he tried to stop the doors with his hands, but didn’t stand a chance against the electronic heavyweights. James says he eventually had to yank his hands out of the doorway while straddling the train and the platform.
“There are two buttons, a yellow one to open the doors and a blue one for handicapped, and I was hitting both of them,” James said, “thinking ‘this is going to open the door.'”
Unfortunately, according to James, the “doors continued to close, the train took off, and there were three people in the train waving their hands and hitting the side of the train to say, ‘Hey, stop.'”
Apparently, the train’s conductor was completely unaware of what was going on and pulled away with James’ young daughter while the bewildered dad stood by helplessly on the platform and watched in horror.
James says he immediately called 9-1-1. Thankfully, police were able to get the train to stop at the next station where James and his daughter were reunited.
Now, imagine this scenario happening to you. Personally, I would have tried to chase down the train while crying hysterically for my baby. I suppose at some point I would have gathered myself long enough to dial 9-1-1 like James did, but it certainly wouldn’t have been my first reaction.
Would you have responded calmly and rationally if you saw your two-year-old speeding away in a train all by herself or would you have screamed and cried before having a heart attack on the spot?
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