Boy breaks grandmother's arm by accident

[Nimbostratus100]

I am not going to say what happened next and what I think until I have heard a few objective opinions on here

The facts of the case

12 year old boy in sports club, leaving the main entrance on his skateboard, which he has been told is not allowed in the building, knocks over the grandmother coming to collect another child. The grandmother has a broken arm and needed an operation

This is a fairly elite sports club, you need to be able to play to a certain standard to by allowed to join. This boy has played there for a year. No serious trouble, several minor reprimands. Reasonably good player. Turns up for the team probably 80-90% of the time.

This happened last weekend. The sports club is meeting tomorrow. The parents have just heard that this boy has/has not been expelled and will/will not be there.

What do you think should happen? why?

I am allocating the voting by a toss of a coin to be random!

YABU - the boy should be expelled
YANBU - the boy should not be expelled

also, what else should happen, as well as/ instead of being expelled?

Thank you

yes there is. He's been told not to skateboard in a building. He's 12 - way above the age of reason (legally set at 10 years in UK). He skateboards iin the building despite being told not to, which is arrogant. As a result, an eldelry woman has a broken arm. A break in old age can be serious. Can take longer to heal, can lead to infection.

I'd suspend him for a few months, get him to pay a fine for breaking the rules if he wants to be readmitted to the club and get him to write a letter of apology.

If we don't want to raise the kind of entitled brats who currently run the country then we have to teach them at an impressionable age that they can't do whatever they want and expect no consequences.

I'm quite surprised how many people think it was just an accident. He'd been specifically told not to do something and did it anyway.

I'm not sure what action you/the club should take against the kid but i would think that the lady has a good negligence claim against the club. I'd be letting the clubs insurance company know.

He used a skateboard inside. It was against the rules and he had been warned. He should not have used the skateboard - his parents shoukd already have removed it from him when visiting the club.

Elite team sport and he turns up 80% to 90% of the time. Not good enough at all.

I think he should be expelled and if I were a club member I'd be very disappointed if he wasn't.

We belong to two elite clubs. The behaviour would not be tolerated at teether.

If it were my child he'd be getting natural consequences: you can't be trusted to use a skateboard responsibily so you don't get to use a skateboard. I'd say a six-month ban would be appropriate.

It wasn't an accident though
Had it been outside in the car park then yes it was an accident
He was breaking the rules which are there for a reason and some innocent person has been badly hurt and will suffer real
Consequences for at least six weeks and probably more.
He knew the rules and had been told that day so
No excuse.
Honestly feel all the accident/only a child etc is indicative of a general malaise in society where it's fine to just do what the feck you like , where you like .
There do need to be consequences for antisocial behaviour , which by definition this was.
No one is talking about prison, just expulsion from this club. Other clubs are available.
I suspect given the strong reactions of the other parents , that there have been previous low level issues with this child and they have had enough.

Well given that my broken arm has caused me pain for 35 year how long do you think he should have to do some gardening for? Offering to tidy up the garden for spring doesn't begin to cover it and that's without the possible financial implications.

An unfortunate event that occurs as a direct result of breaking rules is not an accident. It is a preferable event that is the boys fault.
If you drive like a lunatic or on the wrong side of the road and Jill someone, it's not an accident. It's a crime.

He should have a reprimand that is appropriate to the transgression and sincerely apologise to the person concerned. Suspension for a couple of games and blanket skateboard ban on grounds. Part of the culpability for the accident lies with the organisers for not enforcing the no skateboard policy more effectively.

Other "boycotting parents" need to have it made clear to them that their interference will not be tolerated - ie their children could face sanctions for not turning up.

@Yeahrightthen You are comparing a 12yo riding a skateboard indoors to someone driving along a pavement?

Ok if my previous example didn't meet your approval how about "if you yeeted stones off a bridge and they smashed a windscreen, it's not ac accident. It's a crime.

Oh is this allowed then? I didn’t realise you could skate inside a building, injure someone and then it all be ok if you’re a nice boy/bit sorry. Gosh he must be suffering terribly from the guilt eh? Bet the lady with the broken arm will be over the moon with an apology. Its great that you can just say it’s an “accident”. After all, it wasn’t his fault was it … oh, hang on 🤔

You have a boy over the age of legal responsibility, skateboarding inside a building, I'm sure this could be argued to be reckless behaviour. He knocks over a woman in their sixties, occasioning actual bodily harm, a broken arm is neither transient or trifling.

I hope the club has excellent insurance.

I'd focus on banning the skateboard, a letter of apology to the victim, and maybe something like cleaning the entrance hall weekly for a month, not banning him completely

He'd already been told not to use the skateboard and took no notice, a letter of apology means nothing, and since OP's said some of the family are troublemakers I can almost guarantee an excuse would be produced for him not to do the chores

The strong views of the other parents may suggest they're pretty fed up of the boy already, so it may be best for everyone if he leaves

Leaving the main entrance, so I took it that it was inside the building.

12!
He is not a toddler!
If he can't follow rules by that age then Idk what.And to top it off he injured another person in the process.She even required surgery!
This right here is the reason children act the way they do today,there are ZERO consequences for there behavior.
I'm absolutely SHOCKED at these comments.
What if it was your parent or grandmother?You would be cool with a little "2 minute time out" and that's all?Or is that even too harsh??

It doesn't really set a good example does it-skateboard inside the building even though you've been told not to.

Knock someone over & injure them but you're still welcome.

Sounds like a shit club to me!

Clearly the fact that he shouldn't have had the skateboard is in no way a separate thing from the accident. It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been on the skateboard, and presumably one of the main reasons for the rule is the risk of accidents.

That said, I don't think expulsion is warranted, though something like a 3 month ban could be appropriate.

oh FGS, it was an accident, he's a kid. He should be heavily reprimanded, say sorry to the lady and not do it again. He was presumably just leaving th ebuilding and got on it oo early - much lik epeople that light up their fags as they are leaving a building and blow it back into my face. Annoying, but not malicious.

So much irrelevant detail, the age of the woman and the fact that she is a Grandma is completely irrelevant, as is the eliteness of the club, or not. I am a woman in my fifties, not a Grandmother but what difference does that make. If a 12 year old accidentally banged into me, doing something he shouldn't really have been doing and coused me to fall awkwardly and break my arm - after all, that was unlucky, most people would just be bruised - then I would be annoyed but would be perfectly happy with a card, bunch of flowers maybe and an apology. he shouldn't be kicked out for an accident.

He's a child. They make mistakes. I'd expect and apology to the woman and for him to not be allowed his skateboard ever at practice.

Right?!
These comments are absolutely blowing my mind.And people wonder why kids today are so disrespectful,it's because they have no boundaries or consequences at home.😳

"leaving the main entrance on his skateboard, which he has been told is not allowed in the building"
"several minor reprimands."

I think he should have been expelled from the club. If he had no previous reprimands perhaps it would be different.

How is it an accident?

If he hadn't been doing what he had been told not to do it wouldn't have happened.

Disgusting of the parents to organise a protest over an accident caused by a 12 year old boy.

A fixed term suspension is entirely appropriate due to the fact that an avoidable injury was caused but it was still accidental and not deliberate. It’s not like he physically attacked someone. OP said he was scooting on the skateboard (my DS boards so I know what that looks like) so hardly speeding along on it at 20 mph per hour. Of course he shouldn’t have been hence the punishment.

I take he may be from a different social demographic from the other elite parents. Could that be the reason for the protest? If do, I’d make sure whoever was in charge with the club had very strong words with the protesting parents and made it clear the police would be called if there was any public disorder or intimidation.

If he didn't intend it, it's an accident. However, it's up in the recklessness/gross negligence category and not just "one of those things" so repercussions are justified.

@ancientgran

I'm sorry that you've had long term pain.

Doesn't change the fact that it's a 12 year old boy who made a mistake.

Expelling him is disproportionate to his actual crime. We don't sentence adults based on the outcome of the crimes; we take account of intent. Which often means a sentence is spent before the victim has stopped suffering. Not only was the intent lacking here, but it's a child of only 12. Expelling him (or in your case helping with chores for 35+ years) means he would be punished more than an adult for a similar type offence.

What sport is this OP? I can’t find anywhere you’ve mentioned it so not sure I’ve missed it but that makes a big difference in my opinion. For some sports it is crucial that players can be trusted to follow the rules and do what they are told. Things like- gymnasts not being allowed to do huge tumbling passes unless in the gym with the proper safety equipment, karate athletes not being allowed to do tricks outside of karate, rugby players not being allowed to do big rugby tackles outside of rugby. For some sports there’s an element of discipline and trust involved and a 12 year old who can’t follow a basic instruction and ended up hurting someone wouldn’t be trustworthy enough in some peoples opinions. I know it’s not horse riding, but that’s a sport I’m directly involved in and can be dangerous if children don’t do what they are told and follow the rules. A child who continually did something they are old enough to know is dangerous and were also told not to do, but did it anyway, would absolutely be asked to leave the riding school as it’s a dangerous enough sport never mind when you can trust the child not to follow instructions. Harsh, but got to think of everyone’s safety.

I think permanent exclusion is quite harsh and providing there hasn’t been prior trouble before this; it would be better to temporarily exclude and give him the chance to win the trust back. But I don’t know, maybe there’s other stuff before this and maybe this is the straw that broke the camels back (or the grandmas arm) and they just don’t want him back. It’s a tough lesson but he shouldn’t have been behaving dangerously and a broken arm in an older person is an awful injury.