posted on February 5, 2004 01:08:23 PM new
iareateacher: I am sorry this happened to you as a child. Do you have a child/children?
here is the warning for the manufacturer's website, right below these machines.
"You will note that any recently purchased Beaver® stands now come equipped with a safety harness system designed to secure the equipment to the wall. This is to ensure that the stand/machine assembly does not tip over when physically abused.
It is very important that these harnesses are used as directed in order to ensure the safety of your customers.
Depending on the model of stand, you will have one or more of the new mounting flanges/plates to which to attach one end of the security harness. (see diagrams)
The other end of the harness attaches to the wall by means of a masonry anchor and a lag eye bolt. (Use a 1/2" masonry bit to drill the hole for the anchor).
In some situations, the wall anchor may not be required if there are solid wooden studs within the wall. The lag eye bolt may be screwed directly into the wooden stud.
Harnesses are available in two lengths: 12" and 14"."
posted on February 5, 2004 01:21:59 PM new
Until this topic was brought up, how many people here knew about checking for a safety harness on a gumball machine before approaching it?
It's a bit of a stretch to equate having your child by a gumball machine to leaving one alone in a car in hot weather or leaving one home alone.
posted on February 5, 2004 01:31:31 PM new
lowprofile, sorry to read about the serious injury to your child. I'm sure you're a great parent and I know that these things can happen in a flash.
Me thinks iareatecher may by the errant poster Fluffy
Sounds like a bitter and childless female remark anyway.
-------------- sig file ----------- *There is no conclusive evidence that life is serious*
posted on February 5, 2004 01:36:18 PM new
Yes kiara,
Was America? While you were busy posting auctions America was taken over by terrorists supporting a nationwide ban on gumball machines. George Bush is prepraing a news conference now to explain why this ban should be implemented.
posted on February 5, 2004 01:49:50 PM new
As far as being Ebay related, when this thread started I remembered that I have a gumball machine in my Ebay "room" that I intend to list some day. Since I have been selling on Ebay, I have sold 4 gumball machines. Actually 2 were peanut dispensers with a beer makers lable on the glass. They were the smaller types, designed to set on a table or bar. The very nature and design of the large globe on top of the small base make even the small ones top heavy. Since the gumball machines are attractive to children, I can see where these could possibly be a hazard in a private home. As for the peanut machines, I can well imagine one setting on a home bar being fumbled with by a customer who has had a few beers or a bottle of 2 buck chuck. In the case under discussion, the company that delivered that machine and failed to install the the safety harness and the owner of the establishment share the responsibility for what happened.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
.."None of us were there so how can we judge what kind of parent lowprofile is? I am assuming he is a good parent because he came here to warn others of the danger.
Some of the comments here are uncalled for because no one was there to witness it. Kids can move fast and things can happen just as fast."
-----------------
i agree with you...ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND,
..did anyone see the news couple weeks ago about the kid crawling into the remote control toy booth that you see in the walmarts? this in fact happened in a walmart...yeap, a 3 year old crawled thru the opening in an attempt to get a prize..his father was standing within 10 feet talking on his celphone.."last thing i saw was Timmy reaching inthe opening...i looked away, then looked back, and all i saw was his legs..." that is basically what he said in interview. was the child like moving lightning, or was the father negligent...i dont know...
but, just yesterday, in a parking lot, a mother faithfully strapped her younger in the seat, then told her other child that the door was locked, strolled away to put away the shopping cart, before mother taken more than a couple steps, the child had the door open and headed THE OTHER WAY, and into traffic..i am p/legic, so all i could do was scream, "GET THE KID" she did, and traffic stopped...luckily...my point is, it CAN HAPPEN IN A FLASH...
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the interesting part of this, the second car to stop was a police cruiser, and officer liked to injured himself getting out, and to rescue the kid...he wasnt exactly cordial about a 4 year wandering onto a four lane street...
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posted on February 5, 2004 04:20:08 PM new
When I was a kid the bases of gumball machines seemed a bit heavier duty.
I am amazed how intolerant some people can be of kids.
I was a curtain climber, and "konk" happens to kids, but the bottom line is no excuse for unsafe design around kids. I never use gumball machines, but a kid is a target audience member.
Hmmmm...
Lowprofile, hope your daughter is ok. Broken arms HURT!
Monkey time!
J
~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~
All the monkeys aren't in the zoo,
Every day you meet quite a few,
So you see it's all up to you.
You can be better than you are,
You could be swingin' on a star
posted on February 5, 2004 04:48:24 PM new
Hi all,
Okay, I'll make this eBay related, just so Logan whoever he is doesn't get his knickers in a twist.
I promise faithfully that if I ever put a gumball machine on eBay I'll put a warning in BIG RED LETTERS so some unsuspecting person doesn't inadvertently buy the thing without knowing it just might tip over.
posted on February 5, 2004 05:21:11 PM new
I want to add ATM/Debit machine at registers in stores are a problem also. I seen a child grab on the top of one of those one day at a store and it fell but not on the child thank God. There are a lot of dangers out there that most people don't even see. Gives us all something to think about.
posted on February 5, 2004 07:00:10 PM new
and why was this rugrat grabbing on top of an atm machine-trying to withdraw money??
where was the parent-B.S.ing on a cellphone??
how about a little disipline here
[ edited by classicrock000 on Feb 5, 2004 07:02 PM ]
posted on February 5, 2004 07:44:45 PM new
Things happen to kids all the time. Especially if they are precocious. I dont think any parent gets away totally unscathed.
Lowprofile, I hope your daughter will heal and this will be a small blip in her long life!
That said, I'd like to relay something that happened to me when I was 19 years old. I was driving down a residential street at about the speed limit (25) and a small child ran out in front of me from in between two parked cars. There was no way I could have seen her coming, she just darted out and I dont think her height was above the hood of the parked cars. She was maybe five years old. Anyway, she ran smack into the side of my car. I stopped as fast as I could and she flipped over the hood. It was awful. I got out the car shaking. It was a warm summer eveing around 7:00 pm and plenty of people were hanging out in the neighborhood. So everyone gathered immediately.
But the *Mother*, came flying out from her house slamming her screen door and running down the steps in a panic. She came right up into my face and said, "People should watch how they are driving - What did you do to my daughter?" I felt like saying, "mother's should be watching their kids outside", but I didnt say anything to her knowing she was clearly upset about her kid. I was upset. Some of the neighbors tried to calm her down and told her how the kid ran out into the street. The ambulence came and the child went to the hospital. I thought for sure they were going to try to sue me for something. But I was never contacted by my insurance company or anything about it. (I had later called the cop who took the report and he said the kid was brusied an bumped, but released from the hospital fine.)
The point here is some want to blame everything on outer circumstances and some parents really ARE not watching their children as they should be. I am not saying you lowprofile, because I know its really hard to concentrate on buying something or do something in a store when your kid is full of energy and for sure, I dont think any parent would expect a gumball machine to fall over on their child while allowing them a half-minute to complete a transaction. Sad thing is it only takes a half-minute for something to happen and unless youre gonna put your kid on a leash (yick!), you might have to face that accidents will happen. Is the gumball mfg or store liable? Maybe.
posted on February 5, 2004 08:41:38 PM newThere are a lot of dangers out there that most people don't even see. Gives us all something to think about.
This is so true !!!! and hits home with me.Personal experience speaking.
I will pray for your little girl to heal quickly and does not have a bruised spirit from this.
While I agree with some of the posters, SOME I do not agree with.
With some kids, I don't care how well you are at parenting, your gonna have times when its not a bed of roses. Then there are some parents, that put the kids 2nd and every thing else comes 1st at that time,and we have lots of time during the day... you pick the time.
Cell phones, talking with friends,being on line, taking a nap, being on the phone, and some while watching tv... ect ect..
We all just have to do our best,, and ask God to do the rest.
posted on February 6, 2004 10:36:52 AM new
After looking at the machines my only cynical comment is that it is hard to imagine it taking two people to remove it especially if they were adults. That might have had to do with the position of the machine in relation to the damage that could be caused to the child by removing it.
Here is another warning. About ten years ago some friends of mine had a tv on a small bookcase which was about eight inches from the wall. Their four year old, laying on his back right in front of the tv, suddenly straightened his legs pushing the bookcase to the wall resulting in the bookcase tipping and the tv falling onto his head full force. It all turned out OK with serious bruises and black eyes but no permanent damage.
Once I saw the older child climb a doorjamb like you see McGyver climb hallway walls to get to the top or hide and then jump on people. The younger child then ran through the doorway with arms outspread grabbing the older child's legs pulling him from the doorway and causing him to fall. Again no serious damage but I could just imagine the potential for injury.
One of the above parents was a degreed physicist and the other a chemist.
Sometimes you just can't control or watch high octane kids all the time.
