OK for driver to kick smelly baby off Seattle bus, Mom to sue

[Liberal_in_LA]

Mom to sue as Metro stands by driver in dirty diaper case

Metro apologized to Nichole Hakimian for the inconvenience, but said a review found the driver did not break any rules.

The mother said she is not interested in any apology, and plans to take legal action.

"You don't just come out of nowhere and kick a mom off a bus with a sick child," she said.

Hakimian said a Metro driver told her and her 1-year-old son to get off two stops before her destination. She was headed to a medical clinic in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood at the time.

"I said, 'He has diarrehea. I'm on my way to a doctor's appointment for him. She said, 'I'm sorry. It's unbearable. You need to get off the bus,"' she said.

Hakimian said the driver insisted she get off even when she told the driver she only had two more stops to go.

"She said, 'Well, I'm sorry. It's just unbearable. You need to get off the bus,'" she said. "Nobody (else) on the bus was complaining at all."

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/174889931.html

OK for driver to kick smelly baby off Seattle bus


SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle's Metro Transit has apologized but says it won't discipline the driver who asked a woman with a baby to get off a bus because of a stinky diaper.

Metro told KOMO (http://is.gd/ywJ5LB ) the driver did not violate policy when she acted for the comfort of other passengers.

An apology is not enough for the mother, Nichole Hakimian (hah-KIM'-ee-an), who threatens to sue.

She was taking her 1-year-old son to a clinic Tuesday when his diarrhea became an odor issue. She says the driver insisted she exit.

Hakimian says she found a place to change the baby and caught another bus to the clinic where her son was diagnosed with a stomach bug.

Metro says the driver is a nine-year employee with an excellent record.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/OK-for-driver-to-kick-smelly-baby-off-Seattle-bus-3964182.php#ixzz29mQBf6st

[Politicalboi]

1. How sad

I can see if she were changing the baby, maybe. But come on. What does the bus driver do when they have gas? Shit happens.

[progressivebydesign]

10. the baby had explosive diarrea and people were getting sick from it...

She will not take an apology for waking two blocks, instead she wants money. She is also already 4 months pregnant, and canot afford a taxi, etc. Frankly, it smacks of payday.

[Beaverhausen]

21. Where does it say that "people were getting sick from it"

I read both links and don't see that.

[elehhhhna]

22. pretty judgy aren't you?

[cleanhippie]

33. " Frankly, it smacks of payday." And there it is, Winner!

[MrMickeysMom]

48. "It smacks of payday"..???

Are you fucking kidding?

[Stargazer09]

2. That's a tricky case

As a mom, I can understand the mother's point of view.

On the other hand, nobody should have to tolerate that sort of odor in a public place.

I am going to have to side with Metro on this, but only if "two stops away" was more than a mile.

[Brickbat]

3. "On the other hand, nobody should have to tolerate that sort of odor in a public place."

Wow. Just, wow.

[Stargazer09]

4. Why wow?

Have you ever sat next to someone with a baby in a dirty diaper? Especially one with diarrhea? In an enclosed space, such as a bus, it can be positively nauseating.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. open the windows wide.

[Stargazer09]

9. Was that possible?

We weren't there. It is difficult to say exactly what happened that day.

Believe me, I've dealt with a LOT of sick babies with my very large family (I have nine children). I know that the mom had good reason to be upset and angry.

However, I've also been stuck in an enclosed space (an airplane--no chance of opening the windows) with a baby wearing a diarrhea-filled diaper. None of us could move because the plane was moving towards the runway (the air vents didn't work very well), and the smell made me feel extremely ill. I could tell i wasn't alone; one guy looked green, and another woman kept her perfumed wrist near her nose. The mother didn't seem bothered by it. Fortunately, one of the flight attendants directed the mom to a good changing area once we were airborne.

Suffice to say, I'm not trying to say that the driver was absolutely right in this case. It really depends upon how long it was going to take to get to the hospital, as well as other factors that may not be mentioned in the article. "Two more stops" could have been 15-20 minutes or more. Another passenger may have complained to the driver without the mother noticing. It may not have been possible to increase the ventilation on the bus. We don't know the details.

[obamanut2012]

45. I also was wondering if feces were leaking onto the seats and floor

If so, then the driver may have been legally obligated to get the mother to vacate the bus.

[jackbenimble]

61. Agree.

If I had been on that bus I probably would have puked if I had to sit there smelling that kind of stink. I'm a mom, have changed plenty of diapers. But I still would have been sick. Maybe the bus driver felt the same way, and at that point it became not only an issue of comfort but also of safety. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when you're throwing up.

[HooptieWagon]

76. Agree on the safety issue if the stench was a distraction to driver.

And if people had started vomitting, that would have compounded the situation. Bus driver did the correct thing, and the mother wasn't greatly inconvienenced since she was able to change the foul diaper and board another bus. This sounds like she's looking for a payday.

[cleanhippie]

34. Most transit buses dont open.

And in Seattle, the do not.

[Brickbat]

16. Yes, and as a grown-up I figured that the parent was just as embarrassed and uncomfortable as

I was, and the baby more so. Few enough people would ride around on a bus with a sick baby with a disgusting diaper on purpose, so usually the best course of action is to assume that they're doing the best they can and wish them well.

[Stargazer09]

18. I agree

But as I said, it was a tricky situation, and I can't blame the bus driver for doing her job. The mom and baby were not the only passengers on the bus.

I'm not saying I would do the same thing, if I were the driver. Just that I understand both sides.

[Darth_Kitten]

51. Yeah, go on the bus with people with foul odors some time....

it literally makes you retch.

How about sitting next to people with strong perfumes or sprays on, etc, it makes some people with certain conditions unable to BREATHE.

Yeah, wow.

[reflection]

6. If the odor were due to some sort of behavioral thing

like someone bathing in cologne or perfume, or eating a garlic and boiled egg sandwich, I would agree with you.

But the child was obviously sick. The lady was trying to get her child to a doctor. If she's riding a bus, she clearly doesn't have transportation of her own. If the nearest hospital was 10 miles away, I think the bus driver should have shown simple human compassion and let it go. I'm sure the mother was mortified, embarrassed and concerned about her child also. Diarrhea can be hard on a child, they can get dehydrated very quickly.

[Stargazer09]

11. I understand

I know the child was sick. I'm not defending the bus driver and ignoring the mom's side. I've been in her shoes.

All I'm saying is that it was a tricky situation.

Do I think the bus driver should have allowed the mom to stay on the bus? Yes, but for whatever reason, she made a judgement call to have the mom and baby exit the bus ahead of time. We weren't there, and if the smell was that bad, I can almost guarantee that other passengers were complaining to the driver.

[alp227]

25. And risking everyone ELSE on the bus getting sick?

And a whole bunch of OTHER lawsuits against the driver for negligence? I will even argue that being out in public with diarrhea is even WORSE than blowing cigarette smoke in others' faces.

Do doctors do house calls anymore? The mother could have called one if so.

[PassingFair]

29. Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

Yes, just call a doctor and ask him to come over...LOL

Why doesn't she just borrow the money from Mitt Romney's parents?

I LOL at you!

[Gormy Cuss]

39. +1

[Darth_Kitten]

52. Why, you want to get sick from fecal contamination?

LOL? Oh, funny.

[PassingFair]

53. I'd rather risk that than kick a pregnant woman with a sick child off a bus.

She obviously doesn't have the luxury of taking him to the doctor's by car.

She should have just let him die at home.

I can't believe some of these responses.

Really.

[jackbenimble]

63. Die?

She wasn't on the way to a hospital ER, she was going to a doctor appt. Lot's of people don't have cars in places where there is public transportation. I can't believe some of these responses either. Some people are acting as though some great wrong has happened to this woman and child. IMO, I think it is completely reasonable for the mother to have expected she might have to get off the bus a few times to clean her child up and she should have planned accordingly. It isn't as though she was left stranded where she wouldn't be able to catch another bus.

[PassingFair]

73. The woman and her child were obviously in distress.

If it bothered others so much, they could have gotten their healthy assed bodies off of the bus.

What if the child had been vomiting?

[nadinbrzezinski]

86. Child is about a year old

child has diarrhea. from mother's description bad diarrhea

Yes, it is considered, at least when I was still doing EMS, a Level II emergency, it can easily become a Level III emergency, aka front of the line at the emergency room.

That kid needs FLUIDS, and TREATMENT to stop the fluid loss.

[jackbenimble]

93. Then why

was she going to a doctor appt via bus rather than calling an ambulance to go to the ER? My point is the kid was not anywhere near dying so using the 'what was she supposed to do, let the kid die at home' argument was a little over the top. She had time to stop and clean him up. She should have already been giving him pedialite so he wouldn't be dehydrated.

[nadinbrzezinski]

99. Because you can easily manage it at the doctors

As long as you keep the child hydrated. You surely heard of pedyaliye right?

Urgent care, aka your clinic, is good. Unless, that is the big wicket, she is losing more liquids than getting back.

My question is, do you ride public transportation? I do, regularly, and not everybody smells nice.

[jackbenimble]

112. I live in a rural area

so I don't use public transportation. But if I did I would think it was reasonable for someone to plan ahead that they might need to make a few pit stops when a situation like this comes up. There is a huge difference in somebody having body odor and having large amounts of liquid poo in their pants. Huge, huge difference.

I don't think you read my post. Either that or you've missed my point. All good though, no problem.

[nadinbrzezinski]

113. Well that explains it

no harm no foul

[jackbenimble]

116. Explains what? n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

117. I use public transportation REGULARLY

and some of my fellow riders are just smelly.

Most people either move away or shake heads.

Also, read the whole story, none of the riders were complaining. The driver was in the wrong...

[jackbenimble]

118. Oh ok

Just wanted to be sure you weren't saying my being from a rural area explained something... . But if you want to talk about smelly things, you haven't smelled anything until you get a nice breeze inside your house that has blown from the direction of a field sprayed with liquid manure for fertilizer. You definitely don't have to ride public transportation to know what its like to be in close quarters with wretched smells. And you're right, the article didn't say the other passengers were complaining. I did read the whole story prior to commenting the first time. I guess the driver made the decision based upon her own dislike of the smell. Which apparently is something she is allowed to do. And although I would have sympathized with the woman, I would have done the same thing. You wouldn't have, and I'm cool with that too.

[nadinbrzezinski]

119. Worked for six months in a chicken coup

I even got into a "fight" with a rooster... damn that bird was a pain, and not just figuratively. He was the alpha for the hen house.

So every morning he changed, talons and all.

So yes, unlike a lot of urban folks, I know where my food comes from... damn glad I don't have to go collect eggs though.

[SirRevolutionary]

103. That's just an absurd response!

But seriously, she could have at least traded in some stock and bought her own car

[Fumesucker]

30. House calls?

Yeah, right.

The woman was likely taking the child to the ER, that's where poor people get their medical care.

[WinkyDink]

35. "Do doctors do house calls anymore?" Posting from 1955, are we?

[alp227]

78. How else can poor, car-less people get medical care?

They can't just take public transportation and get others sick. Save the ambulances for severe injuries. I don't know!

[nadinbrzezinski]

84. You answered your question, public transportation

Also we are not talking of TB here.

We are talking of a stomach bug...

For the record, some of the customers who ride the local trolley may be sick, so... some of your coworkers might be sick too.

[alp227]

91. So what should I do, wear a mask like there's a SARS epidemic everywhere?

If someone has TB yes an ambulance is warranted. However if someone has a cold the person should take the day off work or school and see a doctor right away, obviously. Thing is, I don't want to catch others' illnesses, which is why I supported the bus driver's decision to tell the woman with her sick baby to leave.

[nadinbrzezinski]

92. Yet this is not a L-III emergency that warrants an ambulance

just like the other day when I crashed, we went to the ER later in the day, to make sure nothing was broken

But yes, if you are that worried, wear a mask. Bugs are like everywhere... and make sure you disinfect every door handle as well.

For god sakes, I was a medic, and I picked a few sick people (who indeed did need an ambulance) at public transportation places, ranging for bus stations to city buses.

I also transported, with full precs, patients with TB.

She did what she needed to do. If you are that afraid, am afraid perhaps you should drive everywhere.

For the record, about seven months ago one passenger on board MTS looked like he was very sick, one of our local homeless, we ended up calling 911 when he fell down and started to have convulsions. Big deal...

[Ms. Toad]

74. I sure hope you just forgot the sarcasm tag. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

83. house calls? You shit me right?

[IVoteDFL]

12. That sounds harsh

but as someone who rides the bus regularly, I understand. Especially if it is really cold and you can't open a window. Though I get that it sucks for the mother too, if it were me I wouldn't have another way there. I probably would have just made her move to the back of the bus or something.

[Stargazer09]

13. I wasn't trying to be harsh

Like I said, it was a tricky call.

[IVoteDFL]

15. I know

I wasn't trying to be judgemental, sorry if it came off that way.

[datasuspect]

20. diarrhea

[Honeycombe8]

32. It's how long in time she had to go, AND how long she had been on already.

There are wraps and such you can use to stifle the diarrhea smell. Expecting others to put up with that smell in a public place is expecting a lot...depending on how long she was on the bus. OTOH, I understand the mother's predicament, but am thinking she didn't take measures to protect others from the sickening smell.

I'm torn on this one. But if it was only 2 stops to go, and the stops were not far (maybe 5 mins or so), I would've let her stay.

But if there was 15 mins to go...I'm torn on it. Glad the decision wasn't mine.

[Stargazer09]

41. It's hard to judge the details from the article

As I said, it was a tricky call to make.

Either way, I'm not sure the mother has much of a case for a lawsuit.

[Honeycombe8]

44. No. No basis for a lawsuit. You have to be "damaged," in order to recover damages. nt

[MrMickeysMom]

49. Oh, really?

How about someone at a public meeting who by order has to sit next to someone else with a leg bag and poor leg bag hygiene, based on their income and limitation.

Should the strong urine odor not be tolerated?

What about someone who is being treated in a hospital who is suffering from an organism that causes constant foul odors. Should people administering that care be asked to treat another patient.

Sometimes you can't be excused from the order of what happens in life.

FerCrissssake!

[Stargazer09]

58. Did you even read my post?

I said I understood both sides, AND that it was a difficult call to make.

I'm not saying the driver was 100% in the right.

[MotherPetrie]

7. Team bus driver

[yewberry]

8. Just as context:

this is downtown Seattle. This mother probably had to walk 3 or 4 blocks as a result of the incident.

Also, Metro buses don't have windows that you can open; most have small vents.

[alp227]

26. Thanks for the info.

Obviously the many rainy days of Seattle don't allow for open windows. MAYBE if it rained that day the driver would have kept her in. In any case, no one could be completely satisfied, but at least the driver acted to prevent the baby's illness from spreading.

[WinkyDink]

38. No, public buses do not have windows that open.

[alp227]

40. Where I live the public buses have windows that open.

[ToxMarz]

14. No doubt the woman was upset dealing with a sick child

But the article states: " Hakimian says she found a place to change the baby and caught another bus to the clinic where her son was diagnosed with a stomach bug.", which is what she should have done without the driver having to force her off the bus. Don't get what she is suing for. People get strangely protective and entitled when it comes to their kids.

[Drahthaardogs]

17. I agree, get off the bus, change the baby, get back on the bus.

Everyone is happy!

[MrMickeysMom]

50. Not everyone...

The inconsiderate might be happy they can continue their ride...

Yay Incondiderate! They're the best!

[Drahthaardogs]

56. Sorry, but the mother here is a piece of work.

Go do a little more research. It appears that she is looking for a payday. Plus it's borderline abusive to let a kid sit in a dirty diaper for any length of time. Diaper rashes do get infected.

[ejbr]

19. + 1 n/t

[Evergreen Emerald]

67. "strangely protective when it comes to our kids."

Hindsight is 20/20. A sick child continues to poop. Get off, find a place to change diaper. Get on. Child poops. Get off, change diaper. Get on.

She was not aware of the nature or extent of the illness. She was not aware if there were any places that would allow her to change a diaper. She was not aware when the next bus came.

Strangely protective when it comes to our kids....wow.

[ToxMarz]

68. And entitled

Strangely protective and entitled was the actual quote.

Hindsight being 20/20 is a tired excuse for poor behavior. If she had used some foresight and insight in dealing with the situation she may have had a better outcome.

[Evergreen Emerald]

69. What poor behavior?

She was taking her sick kid to the doctor and had no vehicle...and used the public transportation system her tax dollars pay for...and her sick kid got sick on the way to the doctor....she had two stops to go... And the poor inexplicable, unforeseen behavior of the driver caused this mess.

What poor behavior?

[ToxMarz]

95. Cry me a river.

She is the only one who knew the situation when she got on the bus. Every single person on that bus has their own personal issues they are not imposing on anyone else. If the case was so dire she should have called 911 and EMS would have responded. Also the bus driver would have called 911. It was more convenient for her to just impose on everyone else and she could easily have forseen she may have to deal with the sick child along the way. Instead she thought better everyone else should just suck it up because she has a "sick baby". Hence the entitled reference I made which you conveniently edited out when you "quoted" me.

The poor inexplicable unforseen behavior of the DRIVER!? Are you serious!? The only unforseen inexplicable behavior was the woman with the sick child. The driver is charged with keeping his bus on schedule and ensuring the safety of the riders (which includes harmony among the passengers).

We all have kids, or have been kids. And have been parents or had parents who are truly heros when dealing with the crap it takes to raise a child. Pretty much everyone I know will bend over backwards in difficult situations, until you are confronted by the selfish entitled parents that feel just having a child is an automatic free pass to impose on everyone.

[Evergreen Emerald]

98. Lovely.

"Selfish, entitled." Selfish entitled. "Automatic free pass." Cause she needed to take her kid to the doctor. lovely.

I shake my head in disbelief. What a.....*&^*()(&()_. load of ((*&^*&(_>.

[nadinbrzezinski]

115. So she is entitled for taking the kid to the doctor?

Are you serious?

Are you for real?

[ToxMarz]

121. Yes I'm for real

She's entitled because she feels she can sue someone because she had a bad day. That's the entire point of the post. I wish I could sue someone every time I had a bad day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

122. No, she is saying that the driver

Should not have thrown her off the buss, she is correct.

I guess we live in different countries. That is all...empathy, it's a good thing.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

24. Good. The other passengers shouldn't have to stomach that stench. nt

[alp227]

27. Frivolous lawsuit right there.

Hakimian can't demonstrate any negligent harm to herself or her child from being removed from bus. If she had stayed, arminder would have become ill and had GENUINE, EXPENSIVE lawsuits to file!!!

[WinkyDink]

36. Who says that is the only thing she can sue about here?

[yewberry]

43. Gotta say I'm in agreement there.

I do sympathize with the woman and the little boy (and the driver, too, to be honest), but the idea of a lawsuit seems over-the-top.

Neither she or the child suffered any harm. There was no property damage. It would be difficult to argue that there was sufficient pain and suffering involved in either having to walk 4 blocks or changing a diaper and catching the next bus to warrant a lawsuit.

[demmiblue]

28. Is this really that hard? Suck it up and do the right thing.

A sick child needs to get to the doctor.

People can be so selfish.

[alp227]

31. At whose cost though, if the mother cannot drive?

Public transportation = risk of making others sick

Ambulances = impractical

Walking = obviously not quick enough

[cleanhippie]

37. obviously not quick enough?

Not convenient enough is my guess.

Remember, we live in a society where people circle the parking lot to get a space close to the front door, so they don't have to walk very far, even when going to get on the treadmill at the gym....

[Silver Swan]

42. I grew up on a farm.

Shit happens. The bus driver sounds like an intolerant bitch.

[obamanut2012]

46. "bitch"

[Darth_Kitten]

71. Well, anybody's a "bitch" who doesn't cater to the Mommy-brigade these days.

And No, don't have anything against those sick babies, but....had to give my seat lots to those mothers with those monster strollers who demand seats pulled up for them to make enough space only to go back to what is most important ie: sending out that all-too important text.
Wish there were things I could sue over.

[obamanut2012]

87. Gotcha

[ToxMarz]

55. I grew up on a farm too

But I didn't live in a barn.

[wordpix]

105. my mom has Alzheimer's & can't control her bowels

whether in public places or at home. I'll tell you one thing: if I smell bad shit, I get her to a bathroom immediately. So I wonder how long the baby was sitting in the diarrhea poopy diapers. I would not let my mom sit in hers for any longer than it would take to find a bathroom, even if it meant getting off the bus at the first office bldg or restaurant the bus comes to, which always has a bathrm.

[Shankapotomus]

54. I hear the Romney campaign wants to know why

the Obama administration didn't label the explosive diarrhea a terrorist attack two days ago.

[proud2BlibKansan]

59. +1,000,000

Best comment in the thread.

[reflection]

77. .

[JVS]

57. The bus driver was right.

[TwilightGardener]

60. She's not on a plane with a poopy baby (I've been there, and had nowhere

to change my son--the flight attendants were rude and unhelpful). She can get off the bus and then get back on. Presumably the fumes were really getting to the driver, and you don't want your driver gaggy and distracted.

[Luminous Animal]

94. Do you ride buses

Here is the schedule of the next bus flashed on the line that I take from one bus corridor that regularly take:

#10 6 minutes, 36 minutes, 58 minutes

#82 30 minutes, 59 minutes.

So, if I get off the 10 with my sick kid (and I am on schedule to make it to my doctor's appointment) but I am kicked off the bus, I will have to wait a half an hour with my sick kid for the next bus AND miss the appointment.

[yewberry]

101. She was on the 36, I think, which goes by every 4-7 minutes. nt

[TwilightGardener]

102. I have--used to take a city bus every day to college.

There was a bus going by at least every ten minutes in the part of town where I got off the streetcar to take the bus. Not all of them went where I needed to go, but most could get me a few blocks in the right direction.

[Evergreen Emerald]

62. Um...I ride those Seattle buses...and if odor was a prohibiter from riding...

well...let's just say, there would be plenty of sitting room if they kicked off everyone for smelling!

They could hire a "smeller" who rates the passengers just before boarding. "No bus for you."

In all seriousness, that mother was trying to get to the doctor. The people on that bus would have been protective and understanding if they knew that a pregnant mother of a sick child was trying to get to the doctor. And two stops? 1/2 mile away? Come on. That driver should have been fired.

[nolabear]

64. I'm with you. Where's the concern for the mother and child? Responses are heartless.

Man, people here get all ferklempt over a kitten being breast fed by an alligator and talk about how women are being disregarded and health care should be available to all and here's a real live pregnant woman with a sick infant and people are absolutely heartless. It's a pregnant woman with a sick baby, for Chrissake! What do people need to drag a little compassion out of them? I'm shocked at the callousness, I don't care who she is, what she looks like, what she did later or what she will do in the future. That child needed care and rather than be concerned and do all in her power to help its mother get it, the driver thought only of her own inconvenience. No one gets a disease from a smell.

Btw I ride those busses too, and am right there with you. I've sat next to some wonderful examples of The Great Unwashed and just held my breath and thanked my lucky stars for a good life and wished them well.

I can't believe this place sometimes. No room at the inn, indeed.

[MrMickeysMom]

79. Agree with you...

I can only roll my eyes at this point...

[madmom]

80. I agree here, where's our empathy? Everyone says the mother

can walk the rest of the way, what about the sick child? Does he/she walk too or does the pregnant mother carry him? I'm sure that's exactly what a sick child wants to do is go for a nice walk in the city. I would rather be a little inconvenienced by the smell of a dirty diaper than the smell of people who bath in their cologne. One is a natural process, the other is disgusting!

[obamanut2012]

65. Women who are four months pregnant run marathons

And rock climb, and do almost everything else active non pregnant women do. They don't tend to sky dive or go to keggers, but they can certainly walk.

Regardless of anything else, some folks are acting like she was nine and a half months along and ready to have her water break at any moment. It is not unhealthy for a woman this pregnant to walk a few blocks, it is actually healthy for her to do so. It's a moot point anyway, because she changed the child's diaper and caught a bus a few minutes later.

Again, whoever was right or wrong in this situation, people need to know, except in cases where the mother has a medical condition, women four months along not only barely show, they don't have to have a "confinement."

[Evergreen Emerald]

66. You miss the point

The totality of the circumstances: she had a sick infant. She was four months pregnant. The doctor's office was 1/2 mile (two stops) away.

The cost: the risk of the health and safety of the mother/ the child. Versus 1/2 mile bus stop ride holding your nose?

What the hell happened to us?

I remember the old adage: women would get up from child birth and go to work in the fields all day...so she can fucking walk 1/2 a mile carrying a sick infant, while pregnant. What a whiner she is. Take the bus? She should have just put on her running shoes.

Again: What the hell?

[obamanut2012]

89. No I didn't

My point is a woman four months pregnant is healthy.

[Evergreen Emerald]

90. Yes.

She a four month pregnant woman can be healthy. And a sick child can be heavy...and sick.

[bettyellen]

104. I'd like the bus driver with both hands on the wheel - not his nose

A gagging bus driver could put the lives of dozens of people in danger.
If the woman thought a 15 minute delay in any way endangered her kid- she should be calling on EMS, not relying on public transportation.
Sounds like it wasn't an emergency, and Mom knew that.

[Evergreen Emerald]

107. That is silly..

I have ridden the buses in Seattle...there are constant distractions. A temporary poopy diaper is not even in the top 10 of things that would piss of the bus driver.

I am stunned by the sentiment on this "progressive" blog: That motherfucking mother should have mutherfucking knew that that shittystinkingkid would be a distraction to the rest of us. That selfish bitch should have either should have PAID for the ambulance or wait until her shittystinkingkid stopped pooping before bothering our sensitive noses. She had to know that the kid was not really sick enough to bother the sensitive bus patrons...

Oh brother.

[bettyellen]

108. The safety of dozens of people is not a silly concern at all

And you have no idea if that stench was nauseating enough to put passengers at risk. Sorry, just because the moms of the world have become accustomed to poop smells, it's not realistic to think everyone else can easily tolerate it without falling it. It happens.
It's unrealistic to
and selfish to put one non emergency illness over the lives and welfare or dozens of others.

[Evergreen Emerald]

109. Safety? Your argument is a strawman. It did not happen that way...

And you talk about selfishness: a mother taking the only transportation she has to a doctor's appointment for her sick child versus an inconvenience for some patrons. And, you are making stuff up about the "safety" issues.

From the article: "Our goal is always to balance the comfort of all of our riders with providing good customer service,” a Metro spokesman told ABC. The driver didn’t violate Metro policy – she felt she had to advocate for her passengers by politely and apologetically asking the woman to exit the bus.”

It was not about safety. It was about inconvenience. And the patrons can handle 1/2 mile of stinky diaper.

[bettyellen]

110. Inconvenience for one person vs many others

There was no emergency here. Sorry lots if people get sick, and no.... They don't expect the rest of the world to work around them. It's a slight delay for her, but nothing more.
You brought up the nose holding, which is- anyway you look at it - a silly thing to suggest when you're driving a bus.

[Evergreen Emerald]

111. Still with the strawman

It is amazing to me that people equate the inconvenience of smelling a sick kid for one half mile versus the sick kid getting to the doctor.

Slight delay? If the bus is her only transportation...it is not a slight delay. There was no way to know how many more times the kid would poop or how sick the kid was, or how urgent the doctor was needed. Nothing mattered.


So much for it takes a village.

[nolabear]

82. Some do. Some puke their guts out. Some are on bedrest so they'll go to term.

Some drink or do drugs. Some are ill themselves. Some are nursing and pregnant (rare but happens). Some haven't slept for months.

And until you know, the kindest thing is to be available in case you're needed.

[NightOwwl]

72. As soon as she threatened to sue

she lost my sympathy.

An apology and a years worth of free bus rides would be reasonable compensation. Was her baby in immediate danger? No. Was she humiliated? Probably. Well, we are all humiliated once or twice in our lifetimes but most of us don't seek out millions of dollars in reimbursement when it happens.

[Ms. Toad]

75. Millions of dollars?

citation, please.

[NightOwwl]

81. Millions, thousands, hundreds.

In my opinion, the circumstances do not justify a lawsuit.

[Ms. Toad]

85. You are aware that lawsuits can also be brought for things other than money, right? n/t

[porphyrian]

88. Was any member of the Romney family present at the time of this incident? n/t

[Edweird]

97. Smelly baby, smelly baby, what are they feeding you?

Smelly baby, smelly baby, it's not your fault....

Adapted from 'smelly cat'

[aikoaiko]

100. Sick child should have been the priority.

I don't think this is law suit worthy, though.

[dominusvictor]

106. "Fecal Matter Contamination"' that was a joke, right

Those who've served in Afghanistan know that the air they breathed was contaminated with (at minimum) 20% fecal matter. Upon departing the country, we were provided with a notice for our medical records, for the future, in case there turns out to be future illnesses related to serving there (think agent orange). So, as someone who served there (12 months) for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted, I am saddened to see that some feel that a momentary inconvenience of sitting beside a smelly child is tantamount to a safety emergency or ruining ones day. I got on a airline when I returned from Afghanistan and after 6 days of travel through places where showers were few and far between, I felt self conscious, and apologized to the passenger next to me, but remember the little old lady sitting next to me saying, "don't worry sweetie, freedom doesn't always smell like roses". Yes, we are often around people we don't want to sit near or be around, but I'm sure many of them are just as aware, as you are, that they are not presenting themselves at their best. Even with the embarrassment, they know they still have the freedom to take advantage of what this wonderful nation has to offer. So, IMHO, some of us need to get over ourselves. Don't agree with the law suit, but true empathy is seeing with the other person's eyes, hearing with their ears, and feeling with their heart.

[Evergreen Emerald]

114. "true empathy" thanks for the excellent post.

Empathy is apparently lacking in this post. Empathy is missing for the sick child, and the worried mother who has no money for private transportation. It pains me to read these posts. Truly.

[REP]

120. Fecal matter contamination is why I cannot be around babies/toddlers

Not everyone is in perfect health. I rode the bus for years and years, and there's a big difference between unwashed body stink and shit. Unwashed body stink is unpleasant; shit can kill me or make me extremely ill.