Trooper comforts children after Halloween tragedy

[pwjohn]

Nice, but wrong. As they teach you in hospital work, don't delay notification and don't mince your words. "I'm sorry, but your ____ is dead". Pause...

Your lack of compassion in this case speaks volumes, and it's all bad. I saw this story on the news. The troopers decision to handle it his way worked out very well.

 

[Moonglow]

Cool story...seems the only things posted about police are the bad things....the good stuff doesn't get much attention.

Trooper comforts children after Halloween tragedy

MORGAN COUNTY, Ga. – A Georgia State Patrol Trooper went above and beyond the call of duty after a Halloween tragedy.

Four Morgan County children lost both of their parents as they were getting ready to trick or treat Saturday.

Donald and Crystal Howard left their home in Newborn to buy face paint and Halloween candy. They were killed instantly when their SUV flew off the road and hit a tree.

Trooper Nathan Bradley arrived at the home to break the news of the tragedy.

Unfortunately, I was greeted by four children in full costumes,” Bradley said.

With their grandmother’s permission, Bradley didn’t tell the children, who ranged in age from 6 to 13, that their parents had died.

“The first thing I said was, ‘Hey lets go get something to eat,’” Bradley said. “They said, ‘My parents will be here soon.’ I said, ‘Your Grandma wants you to hang out with me till she gets here.;”

Bradley treated Justin, Amaya, Damien and Travion to dinner, movies and Halloween candy at the Monroe State Patrol post followed by a sleepover.

“The whole purpose was to preserve their Halloween,” said Bradley said.

They weren't told about their parents’ accident until the next morning when their grandmother arrived.

Bradley also started a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses so that Crystal and Donald can be buried in Florida, where the children are moving in with grandparents.

All the kindness came from a young state trooper who didn't want to ruin Halloween for his four new friends.

rest of story at link.

I hear and read many good stories about cops....

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

A good man did a good thing. Nice find!

Yes, and for which the left will pillory him. Remember, on Planet Liberal (formerly America) no good deed goeth unpunished!

Geez - count on you to ruin a good thread by politicizing it.

I'm the left.

You suck at being left. Sometimes I confuse you for one of us.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Nice, but wrong. As they teach you in hospital work, don't delay notification and don't mince your words. "I'm sorry, but your ____ is dead". Pause...

Your lack of compassion in this case speaks volumes, and it's all bad. I saw this story on the news. The troopers decision to handle it his way worked out very well.

No, there was, and is, no way for this to ever "work out". Tragedy, destruction, death, is just that, it cannot be altered. I wish that it were so, but it cannot be. All that happened was the children were lied to, for a short time, while their parents became room temperature, and that never works out in the end. By trying to buffer their grief, to delay it, you extended it. What was comforting that night was what served the adults, not the children. For them Halloween will always mean only one thing, the night that their parents died and their world ended.

I don't lack compassion, far from it. I know only the truth in this kind of thing, that grief delayed is even worse than grief experienced head on. The cop and grandmother's compassion, and yours by proxy, didn't save their holiday or make things better. Instead all of you lied to them on the most important, and tragic, day of their young lives. By trying to make things better, to soften the blow, you made things worse, you made them a lie...

 

[JOSweetHeart]

^^^ You are right about how they were most likely lied to, but I understand why the cop waited until their grandmother was able to get there. Because such bad news was being given to little kids, waiting until other members of their family were there for them was the right thing to do. If it was me in the situation, I would want someone that I care enough about to be there so that I would know that they are still here at least since I was being informed that someone that I care about is not here anymore and I am in my 30s. Kids are going to need all of the family that is still there for them if this kind of horror has to be dumped on them.

God bless you and them kids and the remainder of their family always!!!

Holly