WTF?!?! "Boy hit by car after wandering onto highway"

[Lorah]

"A 12-year-old autistic boy was in serious condition at an Oakland hospital Sunday afternoon after wandering onto the southbound lanes of Highway 101 in Ukiah and being struck by a car."

Okay, I'm not a super mom, but I know how to keep my child from wandering onto the FREEWAY! Something seems VERY fishy about this whole story!

It sounds like he was possibly on vacation or something, so he should have been with some adults or something...one would have at least guessed he wouldn't be alone!

Sooooo Strange to me! and VERY VERY SAD!!!!!

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080630/NEWS/806300351/1350&title=Boy_hit_by_car_after_wandering_onto_highway

[ladybish]

I guess I just don't get how you wander onto a freeway!

I hope he is ok!

[howardvm]

I saw that this morning, too. Poor boy. But, I also feel for the Mustang that hit him. Can you imagine? The Mustang didn't do anything wrong, but living with the fact that you hit a 12 year old? Terrible all around:(

[meeg124]

I guess I just don't get how you wander onto a freeway!

I hope he is ok!

A lot of kids with autism have no sense of danger and I don't think the freeway is fenced off...

[Kellie_MO5]

I guess I just don't get how you wander onto a freeway
It's actually pretty easy through Ukiah and Willits.. the speed limit (yes, on the FREEWAY) is 25-35 because it's basically main street for those towns, with the little stores on either side, and lights and all... (we just drove it this weekend).. so while I can't see not watching your son who obviously isn't *there* enough to not run into the street, I can see how a person can get hit in those towns...

[Lorah]

It's actually pretty easy through Ukiah and Willits.. the speed limit (yes, on the FREEWAY) is 25-35 because it's basically main street for those towns, with the little stores on either side, and lights and all... (we just drove it this weekend).. so while I can't see not watching your son who obviously isn't *there* enough to not run into the street, I can see how a person can get hit in those towns...

Ya, I get that.....I wasn't thinking about how its a smaller town....not too small, but still...

But Hmmm I still wonder where the parents were. Kwim? I just really hope he is okay!

[meeg124]

It's actually pretty easy through Ukiah and Willits.. the speed limit (yes, on the FREEWAY) is 25-35 because it's basically main street for those towns, with the little stores on either side, and lights and all... (we just drove it this weekend).. so while I can't see not watching your son who obviously isn't *there* enough to not run into the street, I can see how a person can get hit in those towns...

In Ukiah, 101 doesn't go through downtown. It's a 4 lane freeway... the article says that he was hit by the Perkins street on ramp and I think the speed limit there is 55 or 65.

[ladybish]

It's actually pretty easy through Ukiah and Willits.. the speed limit (yes, on the FREEWAY) is 25-35 because it's basically main street for those towns, with the little stores on either side, and lights and all... (we just drove it this weekend).. so while I can't see not watching your son who obviously isn't *there* enough to not run into the street, I can see how a person can get hit in those towns...

i think I was picturing it being all fenced off like in SR - we don't get up to Ukiah/Willits very often (ok, never). I really do hope he is ok.

[Kellie_MO5]

In Ukiah, 101 doesn't go through downtown
Right, I was thinking Hopland.. oops...

[lizirroja]

That is really sad. Maybe he wandered off and they couldn't find him. You never know.

[LessasLashes]

I read this also this morning and it is truly tragic.

I have to say it is not uncommon for children with autism to wander off and end up in really unsafe places.

When I worked in San Pablo, I had several families who struggled with keeping their children in the house, especially at night time (I know this boy got out during the day). Often local police don't even know that a "wondering" person has autism, and have even mistaken some as being "under the influence, or combative" and they've tazored them. At our program we have been working for years on getting the state officials/police to help with IDs, ankle monitors (like you use on a juvenile del. for house arrest) to help reduce things like this..there's just not enough resource.

I had a student who's parents had their child get out in a flash, made it to the BART station, jumped the turnstile and rode the BART all the way to Daly City before anyone realized he was out.. He LOVED the BART..

Something may have caught this boy's attention.. it's still horrific.. and I'm sure the parents are very upset.

[becky]

that is so sad and i feel bad for the boy and his parents. I hope he will be ok

[meeg124]

Here is an update to the story...

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080701/NEWS/487253791/1350&title=Boy_hit_on_freeway_in_stable_condition

[My3sonsplus1]

um okay, like the commenter said what were they doing walking on the shoulder to begin with, and with his caregiver "following behind him" vs holding his hand in a death grip <like I guess if their car broke down and they were waiting for a tow??>...

[Lorah]

"The Ukiah boy was walking on the shoulder of the southbound highway just north of the Perkins Street exit at 12:31 p.m. when he was struck by a Ford Mustang, according to the CHP.

The boy had run away from his caregiver, who was following him along the highway’s shoulder, the CHP said."

THis makes no sense to me! Maybe the car broke down and they were on the way to the town to get help? But it doesn't say anything about WHY they were on the shoulder and WHY like Lisa said, the caregiver didn't have the death grip on his hand!

[LessasLashes]

Well from working with the severely autistic.. I can say that depending on the lead the child had on the parent, maybe she wasn't close enough. WE have kids that have "elopement" issues and sometimes being pursued can cause them to dart or go into "flight" mode. WE don't know why he bolted.. but perhaps she didn't have a cell. It's too bad that none of the other drivers (seeing an obvious child being trailed by an adult on a highway shoulder) didn't send off a "red flag" that there was something wrong with that picture.

I've had students that we've had to have 2 or 3 staff shadow in order to do a "capture" maneuver because putting hands on when they are escalated can be really combative. We don't know the child's history.. It's too bad that the boy got hurt... and that the parent had no control over the situation.

[MamaLaura]

Very sad! It really must be bad if they took him to CHO instead of the nearest hospital to the accident.

[LessasLashes]

Given that the boy flew in the air after being struck by the car.. I'm sure he needs intensive monitoring as he could end up with a traumatic brain injury.. That on top of a developmental disability will definately pose some challenges