A Canadian boy celebrating his third birthday was unhurt and apparently unfazed after he floated 12 km down a river riding atop his toy truck, said police.
The boy’s family was camping at a popular park near Fort St. John, in northeastern British Columbia, on Sunday when the boy wandered off unnoticed and somehow entered the nearby Peace River, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
The boy’s parents at first thought he was playing with other relatives at the campsite. But police were later alerted and had begun a search when a boater found the boy, and the toy, about 12 km away.
After a nearly two-hour journey down the swift-moving river the boy had no injuries, and was apparently unaware of the danger he had been in.
“He was very excited to see the police,” said RCMP Constable Jackelynn Passarell.
A local news report said the boy also made sure the boater who found him also retrieved the toy truck.
His parents surely got their money’s worth from that toy truck.
That is awesome. Sure beats the story when my parents told me that I ate dirt as a kid.
I guess most child drownings occur when there are a lot of adults around, each one thinks the other is watching the kids, when in fact no one is. These parents were extremely lucky.
“…the boy also made sure the boater who found him also retrieved the toy truck.”
That’s pretty damn cute…
I keep an eye out for other peoples kids when they toddle off, until I know for sure someone is actually watching them. How can parents not be as vigilant?
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
They don’t build trucks like they used to.
#4 ACK!!! SPAM!!!
#3 I agree, however kids a sneakyfast. You let your gaurd down for one second and *poof* they are gone!
#4, more,
Why not take your gripe to the Cage Match. You just might find some fellow ijit, conspiracy, tin foil hat crowd to agree with you.
[editor: dealt with – OT spam]
#3;
I don’t watch ’em. Not my responsibility. People need to control their own damn crotch fruit.
I’ve even waited to see the inevitable results when unsupervised kids were running around approximately forehead height tables. I was not disappointed. *THWACK!*
/I wouldn’t let anybody get seriously hurt, but a little pain is good for them.
8 natefrog,
“I don’t watch ‘em. Not my responsibility. People need to control their own damn crotch fruit.”
I wonder what your childhood was like. Solitary, ignored and without a society?
It was one where I was brought up to take responsibility for my own actions and not depend on others (which includes one’s children).
Want to continue acting arrogant and condescending? Or would you rather explain why it’s my responsibility to control other children?
/Yeah, I’m even a liberal. Funny that, huh?
# 10 There are liberals and there are libertarians. You might want to re-evaluate which group you fall into.
I did about the same at age 7. Did my Tom Sawyer raft excursion on the cities storm runoff canals during a typhoon. Wound up about 10 miles away and as luck would have it only a half mile upstream from a big drainage sump that would have killed me.
I walked up to some cops and told them I was lost. They gave me ice cream and called my parents. And here I am posting as the immortal that I am. I thought I was invincible up until about age 30. It was my first back ache after a day of skiing that brought my mortality home to me. I encourage kiddies to test their environment and try to keep them safe without interfering in their fantasies. Wish that worked with girlfriends, but just too expensive.
#11–do-ill==no real human being “falls into” a category. We are all combinations of various if not all labels that idiots of various stripes try to paint the world.
Sad to lose the complexity and wonder of life in favor of a simple minded argument.
You know that future versions of that truck will now have to carry a warning that it is not to be used as a flotation device.
#15 LOL
natefrog – I never said it was your responsibility to watch other peoples kids. In fact I was lamenting the responsibility level of most parents.
That said if I see a lost child or one playing in the street apparently unsupervised, my reaction is to help the child, not twirl my moustache, laugh evilly and think to myself that irresponsible parents deserve what they get.
Sometimes being human means you help even when its not your problem.
#12, deowll;
You are right, I do share many libertarian philosophies.
However, I also acknowledge that many, many things are beyond the average person’s control (but not this kid escaping his parents; 5 minutes is an accident, 2 hours is criminal negligence), which is why I strongly support nationalized health care, social security, etc.
I’m very pro-civil liberties, but I’m also strongly in favor of an adequate social safety net.
The amazing part to a degree is that it was the kid’s love for the toy that saved him , and drew a happy conclusion to the tale
When the search parties started , one group did a quick calculation and figured with the time span that the child ( or his body) might of been swept 10 -15 km ( 6 to 10 miles) down river
From their craft they spotted on shore what they thought was an eagle perched on a rock
It turned out that as they got closer it was the overturned vehicle with the kid clinging on
When they were able to do the rescue the biggest concern of the kid was “Where is my truck”
Guess he will grow up to be a “Car Guy” or perhaps “Truck guy”.
I watched that story on the news here. The tot got up early in the morning before anyone else was awake, and drove his truck down a boat ramp into the river. When they found him, the truck was floating upside down, and he was on all fours on it.
Re: #13 Bobbo, at age 7, I would have enthusiastically gone with you as Huckleberry Finn.
#17, tcc3;
My apologies, I didn’t intend to make it seem that you felt it was others’ responsibility to watch out for children. I was simply replying to your comment with my own personal take on it.
However, #10 basically did say it *was* my responsibility, which my reply there was directed towards them.
As I mentioned before, however, I will help a lost child or save a child from a busy street. It really depends on the severity of the situation, however.
A child running around at risk of banging his head on a table? That’s a good opportunity to teach both the kid and the parents a lesson.
A small child lost in the middle of a street? That’s too dangerous. (Although I must admit that I don’t believe the parents should be able to sue the driver that runs over their kid. Sympathy for the parents is limited if they are negligent in watching out for their kids. That’s not saying I hope the kid gets killed.)
I think we are basically in agreement Nate, your original comment just sounded a little more evil than I think you meant.
#21, Nate,
A child running around at risk of banging his head on a table? That’s a good opportunity to teach both the kid and the parents a lesson.
And when the kid runs into the table and upsets your beer, (and Great Aunt Edna’s potato salad) will you still be saying “Not my responsibility?”
😉
The Canadian version of Tom Sawyer isn’t that great a read.
Maybe they need to add a Pakistani called Abdul?
Cursor_
#22, tcc3;
Yup. I’m typically blunt, which can have a (sometimes desirable) evil effect. (=
#23, Fusion;
Holy crap! That would be an absolute travesty. I’m not sure I’d be able to forgive myself. (=
All done without a helmet.
# 2 jsgerhard said, in part:
Not as lucky as that kid! Wish the story gave the kid’s name — I’d like to keep an eye out for that name in the future. Anything he’s associated with, sports teams, public companies, whatever, I’d bet on!