Should anyone be interested in more potentially relevant concerns along this line of thought, please see my blog. Search: AVT777, my name, and "Pint-Sized Hero." My blog is on blogspot. I cant post the link here and I dont think all my comment would fit here in this comment space either.

Are you serious??? Reckless and irresponsible for hitting an icy patch in the road and having a car accident? I can't imagine what you think you know about these people, but you yourself seem to be incredibly judgemental and misguided. Do you honestly believe that someone should not be entrusted with their own children for getting into an accident?

No obviously you don’t understand one of my points either, which is: when driving a likely heavily loaded-down and top-heavy pick-up truck, one needs to slow down! Especially on ice! What’s to debate here? I drive [a pick-up truck] on alot of ice and snow (and I mean alot of snow and ice)! When a vehicle goes out of control - especially on snow and ice, one often needs to quickly countersteer - as you may or may not know. However, when driving a heavily-loaded and therefore probably top-heavy pick-up truck, when one quickly countersteers, such will likely cause the vehicle become inclined to flip over! Knowing this, one should drive even slower! Then add to the mix, very young children in the truck with which [at least apparently one of babies] are not even in child safety seats...well...I gotta wonder about the capabilities of the driver. And, maybe in the end, the task was beyond her and the blame should be at least equally shared by the father - or lack thereof.

Adam, does there have to be blame laid? I was an ACCIDENT!! I live in Montana, as I have for 30 years of my 37, where for at least 4 months out of the year the roads and highways are ice, pure ice. Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, accidents happen. Yes, Averie should have been secured in the vehicle, but she is not your child and you have no right to make decisions regarding her welfare and safety. GET OVER YOURSELF!

Actually Adam, you should steer in the direction of the spin not "countersteer." So much for your credibility as a frequent icy road driver. It could happen to anybody even at slow speeds.

Yo Adam, it seems to me you like to cast judgment on others with little regards to their own conditions or even knowledge of their entire situation. People often can only work with the hands they are delt in life. If this woman was filthy rich, then I would say she was being negligent, and deserves the hand of law. Since she is obviously not so well off, then she deserves our sypathy. Btw I've driven military vehicles for twenty years through all kinds of conditions while even carrying live ammunition. If you countersteer on ice you deserve to be wrecked in a ditch. You always turn first into the direction you are sliding and or spinning while letting off of the gas then turn into direction you wanna go and slowly applying gas to correct your vehicle. Even as a professional soldier and driver wrecks happen to the best of us; no conditions are ever perfect, no person is ever perfect, no training in the world is ever perfect enough.

Also let me make it quite clear that safety belts and car seats are by no means a perfect solution towards protecting drivers and passengers as they have also caused injury and death as well to their users.

Actually Adam, you should steer in the direction of the spin not "countersteer." So much for your credibility as a frequent icy road driver. It could happen to anybody even at slow speeds.

Actually, it depends on whether your vehicle is front or, rear wheel drive. Now, lets talk about your credibility as a driver.

Oh, yeah. What about awd??? Your credibility is now in question. Zing!

Oh, please! Obviously you have never lived in Iowa or the northern plains.

You do what you have to do to survive!

Then it's drive as a front wheel drive. Next?

You steer to counteract the slide. That is to countersteer.

Adam - I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be making any judgements about the mother. Accidents happen all the time and anyone who is an adult knows this. To be placing blame is totally incomprehensible.

Any adjustments need to be made if below the equator, lol

I have a 4 year old foster kid and he is perfectly capable of unbuckling himself if necessary. You can't know if they buckled the kid or not.

Semantics. Countersteer in the direction of the slippage/skid. Yes. (I would call it a countersteer because it's not the direction you ultimately want the vehicle to travel.) And, yes, I have lived in Iowa, as a matter of fact. Sioux City, Iowa. It's where I first learned to drive, actually.

To be clear though, I didn't really mean to offend any of you. If my writing style has offended you, I apologize - as I have no gripe with any of you other than to respond to your points and defend my point(s). And, my main point was that one needs to be more careful when driving with such precious cargo as children - certainly more careful than this individual seemed to be, with the heroics of the young child being irrelevant. When one seems any bit dependent on a four year old for rescue, clearly they have done something wrong. Are these points arrogant or unwarranted?

Additionally, I wasn’t looking for any debate; I was merely voicing my opinion.

Adam - You're making an assumption that the pickup was top-heavy and overloaded.... a fact not stated anywhere in the story. She could have had all their belongings packed neatly in boxes & stowed within the bed of the pickup and well underweight for all you know. BTW, I've seen vehicles that had been completely STOPPED, slide a quarter of a mile in icy conditions and when they are sliding, you can turn the wheels any way you want and there is NO control. Don't cast blame if you don't know all the circumstances and what you're talking about. You make assumptions about whether the little girl was strapped in or not but in reality.... YOU WEREN'T THERE... so SHUT THE 'F' UP if you don't know what you're talking about.

The story is about a very gutsy four year old little girl. While she probably didn't understand how dangerous it was for her to go off like she did in the deep snow, she did a remarkable thing out of her concern for her mother and 1 year old brother. This little girl is a keeper! I like her spunk! And, I'd gladly pay the ticket (if there is one) for the mother of this little girl.

Skot..the article does say the little girl was not secured in the vehicle.

folks ADAM is a newsvine Troll. responses encourage him to continue

I lost control of my vehicle during a snow storm, totaled my car, but I was not ticketed. Hitting an ice patch goes can make keeping your vehicle under control impossible.

The mother deserves to be ticketed for not having her daughter riding safely. She took a foolish chance, I am glad the little girl wasn't injured. She also needs to teach her daughter to stay with her at all times, unless she is told otherwise! So many bad things could have happen to her because she wandered off.

If you know anything about older trucks, they may have only two sets of seat belts. Mother using one set, the infants car seat strapped into the other. There would not be another set for the 3rd passenger. So who's to say this wasn't an old truck?

Actually one must know if one is driving front wheel or rear wheel drive, sounds like many people needs to go back to drivers training and learn which way to turn when in a skid.

I can attest as the mother of 3, that there are some children that would give Houdini a run for his money when it comes to escaping out of their carseats. My oldest was able to push the little red button on his baby seat by the time he was 1 year old and unlock the straps over his chest. I swear he was like an eel the way he would slide right out of those straps and be climbing into the front seat before I even knew what was happening. Now, the article does say that the girl was not strapped in...bad on the mom for that. However, even if the girl had been buckled in as appropriate, there is no way of knowing if she could have unbuckled herself and crawled out of the vehicle anyhow.

Bottom line here...this girl is a hero. She braved fierce conditions to get help for her family. She has a big heart and I think the story was heartwarming. Nice to read good positive news every now and again...and I certainly think this qualifies and doesn't need to become a "bash the parents" for any perceived failings kind of thing.



I'm confused why a 4 year old who runs off into the snow instead of staying with her conscious mother (obviously talking to her, asking her if she was OK) is considered smart or heroic. When I started reading this story, I thought the mother WOULD BE knocked out or unconscious...

How the hell did the 4 year old get out of the car without her mother noticing? I'm just confused by this story. That little girl could very easily have died from exposure, why she would wander away from the car when her mother is conscious and dialing 911 is just baffling to me.

I was in a roll-over accident 4 years ago with my husband and 4 children ages 1, 5, 11, and 13. We too were in a remote area and hit ice once you hit ice slide and then hit dry pavement physics takes over. My husband is a paramedic/firefighter and teaches parents proper ways to secure your children. To say a seatbelt harms is ignorant properly warn belts and properly installed childseats can only save lives. As someone stated above their child learned how to get out, buy a different seat(no brainer) Children 6 and under should always be in a harness system carseat keeps them from getting themselves out. Someone above made the ridiculous excuse of only 2 seatbelts, if you had watched the video you would have seen she was in a newer Chevy Crew Cab Truck(with broken out windows how the lil girl got out) I don't know if a fine is a proper punishment. I work in the ER of a trauma center I feel the mother should be forced to education. Learn how to install the seats properly, how to insure the correct tightness of harnessing belts. Safety classes of cause and effect of not properly installing the seats through pictures and testimonials from those who have suffered horrible loss from not...

I am so glad the 4 year old did what she did. She's a little hero.

You sound a little misguided and off point. Have you ever driven with children? Have you ever driven on an ice covered road? Have you ever driven a loaded-down pick-up truck? Also, I think when the child was not to be found in the truck it was fairly obvious she had not used any safety restraints for the children, no doubt there were no child safety seats in the vehicle either. I dont think it was a matter of her being honest. More likely it was plain as day - or plain as the dark night in which the child was missing. I dont believe adults should be required to wear safety belts either, actually. But the four year old and the even younger baby are/were not adults.

One point Adam...practice some reading skills --

Her 1-year-old son, Abel, was secured, as usual, in a car seat.

Ok Jason, Don't call on the law enforcement when you get into trouble. Obviously you have gone to jail at one point in your life.

As sad as it is, Jason, there are laws of the road that require a driver to alter how they drive to match the conditions of the road. Even if she had lost control going 5 mph, she would probably still have gotten a citation. I don't feel that officers doing their job means we should accuse them of being mean and calling them names. She was obviously not driving correctly for conditions, yes, I know it was an accident. I'm sure the second citation was for the girl not being secured in her seat, which at that age, she should be in a booster seat, not just strapped in. The mother, hopefully, got a wake up call on a better way to protect her children. She's very lucky that nothing worse happened, and from now on, I hope she secures those children the way they should be secured.

Maybe you make an interesting point, Unintended Consequences. However, should one compare the time line of my blog to the posting of the written story above, one will see that I wrote my blog prior to this story being posted here on this website. In fact, when I originally set out to chronicle my thoughts in this matter in response to the interview on the television show, TODAY (/MSNBC) had not even posted the story anywhere on its website. So, I had no exact name to Google for more information, the interview is not clear as to what state the accident/matter happened (as the reporter was reporting from Chicago), nor does the interview portion of the story state exactly how many of the two babies/children were not secured in car safety seats – it only says the mother was cited for one infraction of such (a citation which could have included both kids). But maybe you are right, Unintended Consequences - or whatever your name is, I will try to read the stories more diligently regardless of whether the story has been posted for review or not. Thanks for your comment and input, nevertheless.

Wow Jason, you sound like someone who regularly breaks the law and doesn't like getting in trouble for doing so. I hope you never need one of those "Einstein donut eaters" to save your ignorant self.

I wish that you wouldn't lump all police officers together. Sure there are some out there who break laws and use their status as a way to get away with it, but there are also quite a few who do their job and live their life as best as they can. They don't break laws, and they try to protect people.

You wish that a car would roll over on those "blue meanies" but when you accidentally roll your car you'll probably be glad to see someone there to help you.

Adam,

A four year old is capable of getting out of a child restraint independently. For all you know maybe the little girl unbuckled her seat belt. With out really knowing all the facts it is hard to be judge and jury.

Since the cop did not witness the accident and there was no other witnesses he issued tickets based on the statments of a distressed mother who just survived an auto accident. Bad Cop

Adam, you clearly just need attention. Your words are not impressive nor are they inordnately intelligent. You just need to write and bash someone. My guess is this is all you do all day. I on the other hand, need to get back to work. Just stop being so judgemental. People have accidents. That is why they are called accidents.

Mike-3046527 and LittleLeos, Jason's observations about law enforcement officers are the unfortunate truth, though I don't personally wish any officers harm. He's no criminal; he has probably just been an adult for at least a few years.

There is not enough space to describe in detail the many disappointments I have had as a law-abiding citizen and all-around nice girl. I will say, however, I have learned specific incidents in which NOT to call on our boys in blue, unless I have a desire to be threatened with jail or traffic tickets (and I have never experienced either one): husband shoving and locking me out of our house, drunk tow-truck driver crashing into my car while my toddler rode in the back seat, and breaking down on the side of an unfamiliar road at night with sleeping children in the back seat.

Guys, I think you just have not lived long enough yet. Give it time. You'll learn.

Midnight special, I have been on this planet almost 43 years. So I do have experience to give my opinion in regards to Jason's comments. I have know those to make very similar comments. And guess what, they had a bad experience with the police because they broke the law. For the boys in blue as you describe them put their lives on the line daily, and they don't get the respect they deserve. Sounds like you have some unfortunate incidents that happened to you with not the outcome you desired. I have had my experiences with law enforcement officers, but understand they have a job to do.

Jason, I love when people lump all cops together as if they are horrible. I wish that whatever job you do, you get lumped into the group of lazy workers. I doubt whatever your job is, you have never had to leave your family in the middle of a birthday party or miss Christmas morning with your family because some ignorant SOB has held someone hostage. Or have you ever been mandated to work midnight shift and have your life turned upside down? While I think most intelligent people realize that not all cops are as you classify them, (just as not all lawyers are ambulance chasers, not all doctors are running in insurance scam, and not all waitors are aspiring actors) I sure as hell hope that one day you do not need to call them, and if you do, I hope you don't get shot while trying to remove your head from your behind from one of those "donut eaters."

Sorry, I totally agree with Midnight Special. You who disagree are probably the type of crooked cop who goes into the job so they can break laws with impunity, or let their friends break laws with impunity. Or else you are on a power trip.

Once, late at night, I stopped my car on the side of the road to adjust something in the car. A deputy stopped behind me with his lights on and told me if I did that again I would get a ticket. This was out in the country, with plenty of shoulder, and very, very little traffice. I should have sued. And I've had incidents (photographed by me, unknown to the officers) whereby one of their buddies (probably the kid of one of their friends) was tailgating me in a pick-up truck, and they tried all kinds of intimidation so that I wouldn't pursue the matter. I never pursued that because I didn't have the time then. but not because I was intimidated. I felt it wasn't worth the time and effort. In retrospect, I was probably wrong not to pursue it.

But it happens. And by the way, I've never been in jail, or had a ticket, either. So don't go there.

Lou7777777, So, because of those two scenarios all cops are bad and are just out to get the public. Hell, lets get rid of all police and go back to the wild west. So, Lou what do you do for work? I mean you assume that I am a crooked cop or on a power trip.

I'm 37, so I think that qualifies me as having lived long enough to form an opinion. I'm not a cop, but I do respect them and appreciate the job that they are doing to keep everyone safe (even those who don't deserve to be protected by them).

Leos, If you're gonna reply, at least understand what you read. Just sayin'. I don't doubt that you are qualified to have an opinion. I do not doubt anyone's qualifications in that endeavor. Such is the nature of opinions.

I didn't say anything about not respecting police officers. I respect them. I treat them with respect. I just happen to agree with Jason, and therefore know not to call the police if I'm being beaten by a man, get hit by a drunk driver, or my car breaks down.

Kermit, the problem is calling. You say you hope Jason doesn't need to call the police for help one day. That's what we're complaining about. This girl was in trouble, called 911, and got a ticket.

Anyway, Folks....Have a great weekend. God bless America and all the good stuff. :-)

And after watching Kati Kim's story on 20/20 tonight, the whiny stories on this seed are so petty.

Kati Kim and her 2 young daughters were lost in the Oregon wilderness for 9 days - in the winter time - in terrible snow conditions - and she and her children survived. They ended up on an abandoned road and adrift in the snow.

On day 7, her husband went out for help and died of exposure. He walked 16 miles before he died. HE IS A HERO TOO just like the 4 year old.

It's a miracle the 4 year old made it.

Adam --

However, should one compare the time line of my blog to the posting of the written story above, one will see that I wrote my blog prior to this story being posted here on this website.

In other words...you posted to a thread on a forum where you didn't read the linked article that spawned the thread and did NOT expect someone to challenge you on your incorrect and misguided response because you were acting on prior unsubstantiated knowledge. Better watch out then because I will be the least of your detractors...that same mistake causes lots of Viners to go nuts...just look at their comments surrounding the Bush administration and Iraq/WMDs. Cheers.

Midnight Special...since I'm too stupid to understand what you wrote (which would probably come as quite a surprise to many given that I graduated from college with a 4.0 G.P.A), please explain what you meant by, "Guys, I think you just have not lived long enough yet. Give it time. You'll learn."

Not really, but we all enjoy your comments crammed with those big Thesaurus words designed to impress us. And we are all VERY impressed... ;)

what a self important jackass with all the answers. Black ice is not seeable, an unevenly loaded pickup is not rightable, and your efforts to sully the positive points of this story are absolutely despicable. let me know if you need a thesaurus

I can see you are on a HIGH HORSE today!! Pure and simple, the little girl is a hero! I don't understand why you are so mean to everyone? Yes the mother should get a ticket for not putting the little girl in a car seat, if that was established. But there was ice, come on! Sometimes you never know when there is ice on the road. And yes I drive in snow and ice myself, you are not the only one! I think the second ticket is overkill! But that is my opinion not anyone elses!

Did this story somewhere say the make and model and more important the YEAR of this pickup truck? I haven't watched the video yet, just read the story and I may have overlooked information on the truck. YA KNOW, not everyone can afford a new, modern vehicle. This truck was perhaps made with no center seatbelt OR is too small in the cab for TWO child safety seats. Most of us try to do the best we can with what we have. It dosen't sound like this lady had any help with a move during some atrocious weather, we can't all afford childcare, extra trips back and forth to move, I'm sure you get the picture. I'm sure mommy is sorry for skipping a step (belting the girl if it was possible), while in the midst of an already trying situation. Sometimes it amazes me how indignantly self-righteous some people can be about other peoples mistakes, would YOU have made the time to help her move? Would YOU have babysat or transported her kids? Would YOU have payed for some gas so she could take smaller safer loads? Or maybe pay for a moving company for her? Yeah, didn't think so- most common response I "hear" through my keyboard is," Not My Problem". What this mother did on this particular trip for whatever reason, whether she COULDN'T buckle this girl or in haste or stress, simply "forgot", isn't YOUR problem either.

Adam...being a relatively new member (I see you joined this month and we are only on day 11), I would like to welcome you. And judging by your comments, I would also like to say goodbye. You are one good rant away from being warned and another good rant away from being banned. Please stop attacking people and stick to comments on the story. Your opinion, albeit misguided, is appreciated but your rude, ignorance towards other members is not.

She was in a pickup truck if said truck had bucket seats she could not have two childseats properly belted. The possible variables that are present make it virtually impossible to make the kind of judgement call that you are trying to make. It makes me wonder if you even have any kids???

Okay. I’ll let it go. I’m not obsessing here; I am merely responding to your points and defending my point(s). Yes, the young child is surely a hero! I hope she goes on to be a productive member of our nation’s society, as we surely will need all the help we can get in the years to come. Furthermore and fortunately for all of us, the baby/young child did not encounter any band of hungry coyotes or pack of wolves as she was wandering through the dark, barren, snow-covered, and frozen countryside. My point was that the story/interview, while surely showing the likely misguided yet heroic actions of the resourceful and intelligent young child, clearly also shows the likely irresponsible (if not ignorant) nature of the mother (or parents).

Finally, concerning the matter of black ice, as one that drives in alot of inclement weather (and I mean ALOT of inclement weather), when the road is any bit damp and the temperature is below freezing (and dampness is visible regardless if anyone tells you otherwise) such dampness is most likely ice (or at least icy). In any case, when driving in such weather – if driving can not be avoided, at a minimum: SLOW DOWN!!!!! How fast do you suppose she may have been going prior to losing control and flipping the pick-up truck several times? I suspect she was driving at normal freeway/highway speeds and oblivious to the conditions and oblivious to the weight she was carrying [not to mention oblivious to her own safety and oblivious to the safety of the babies, as well].

Lol, Adam you're such a troll =D

Google: hyperboleandahalf and alot. Enjoy.

Hey adam,

Shut up already

Wow, Adam, bands of coyotes and wolves? Have you ever actually been outside of a city? Hilarious. It's not all Call of the Wild beyond city limits.

Danger is everywhere regardless of its form, unfortunately - especially when speaking of young and defenseless children. (And, yes, there are even coyotes in the cities too now. Look up/search the coyote on the Charles River in Boston. Or, the coyote in Central Park of New York City.)

Quite frankly, regardless of the individual, regardless of the location, and regardless of the situation, in my opinion:

HARM TO ANY INNOCENTS IS HARM TO US ALL.

Additionally, if I may, our society has been witness to way too much harm, injury, and pain continually and seemingly forever befalling upon innocent individuals who have trespassed against no one. Somehow, someway, it all needs to stop. As a first step, take it easy when driving on icy roads – especially when driving with such precious cargo as children.

Of course, I am aware life has no guarantees and accidents happen.

Fortunately, this story had a happy ending, merely by chance.

Adam why do you persist? Life is all merely chance... what have you done to protect the innocent beyond type on a computer? That's a question not a rant, I would really like to know what you have done beyond complain.

Bottom line is the mom did not safely buckle in her daughter. We could probably all forgive the icy "accident" but to not have her daughter buckled into a proper safety seat is obviously inexcusable. But that is one tough little girl. No doubt about that.

Bubble Wrap for everyone!!!!!!

I think you guys have it all covered. Here is my 2 cents.

First of all it was a newer Chevy Crew Cab at least 5 maybe 6 belts. Second the roads were snow covered not black ice. Lastly accidents happen I don't fault the mother for that. She chose to drive in adverse conditions with her child not properly restrained that is unforgivable. Some have laughed at the idea of "wolves" attacking this little girl. If the roads were bad what about another car, she was found by a farmers dog what if that dog didn't think fondly of her trespassing. But, in the end things ended good and all the Mom received were 2 citations she has to pay. Not the funeral for her beautiful 4 year old child. Lucky her!

AGREE! This is really a story about dumb luck under the mother's foolishness. The media is making this story into something it's not! I think Adam may have used some inflammatory language but ultimately he's not wrong. What if no one were home at that farm house?! It could have easily become a tragic story of an irresponsible mom who failed to properly restrain her 4-year-old. Besides, it sounded like the people at the farm house didn't even call 911, so likely the little girl failed to report clearly what had happened to her mom and brother. The mom said that the police had to flip her car and dig in the snow to search for her daughter until the man from the farm house came and told them that she was fine. Unfortunately it sound like the girl probably just wandered off by herself. She didn't need to take that risk. The mom had her cell phone. When we saw the blurb on what happened, before hearing the whole story, I immediately asked my 4-year-old son what he would do if mommy and baby sister were hurt in an accident and he was the only one who's ok. He immediately replied that he would get my cell out of my purse and call 911.

Yes, the mom deserved a ticket, two tickets, probably more. Maybe a class on parenting skills and child safety. I find the criticism of the cops to be offensive. There's no evidence that the cops ticketed her as she was mourning the possible loss of her daughter. In all likelihood, they probably did it much later, after they figured out the whole story.

And NO, a properly-restrained child should NOT be able to wiggle out of her car seat. If he/she could, then the adult needs a refresher course on the proper use of vehicular child restraints. (There should only be 2-fingers leeway for wiggle-room. On our Britax and Graco car seats, it tough for most adults to push that red button with the thumb to release the 5-point harness!)

@John Quante, Why do you ask? What’s it to you? Furthermore, what would you prefer I do? List everything I have done for others and email it to you? Maybe call you on the phone? Would that help to make everything better for you and help protect innocents as well? Or, as you - no doubt - would seem to prefer, maybe it would be best to just let you assume you know everything about me and what I have done throughout my life?

But I do have to commend you, at least you have the guts/gumption to apparently use your real name when attacking the character of others unlike most here on this comment board - even if your attack is nothing more than your simplistic assumptions.

What’s more, by the content of some of the posts below and judging by who has posted them, it would appear this entire [comment board] effort may well protect some as yet unnamed innocents. I would explain it further, but by your apparent nature, maybe any such effort by me would be futile. (And the comment-post space surely has a character limitation to it, does it not?)

Adam, seriously, stop arguing with these dumb*sses. There really is no point.

Agree with you!

I agree just a little. Look a little closer at what the girl is doing when she yanks her hand away. She is making a motion that could be misconstrued. I think she was embarrassed. Before people start going off about the motion of the the girl. It looks as if she can see herself on a monitor and she is making faces and movements watching herself. I'm sure it is innocent!

I agree on the son. Couldn't they give her a staff aide to help keep him calm. We were lucky to hear half of the interview. I know he is being a normal 1-year-old but...

I watched the video, and the little boy was able to do as he pleased. When the little girl was acting her age she was told to stop. Mother seemed to want the interview focused on her. The story was about a 4 yr old hero. Not the mother. After the little girl got in trouble she moved away from mom a bit and didn't want to answer questions at first. Also, where is the father? Just curious is all.

Rebecca and Adam, just wondering, when did our creator pass the reins of judgement on to you two? If I were you guys, I believe I would worry about your own judgement and not everybody else. When you two become perfection let us all know so we can bow down to the both of you, ok? Until that day, you are just like everyone else, you have your faults just like the rest of us.

I have to agree with Rebecca, I mean an accident is and accident, but the way she was so short and abrubt with her children was uncomfortable to watch...I mean you would think she would just be so appriciative to have her family safe, but she was so concerned with making them sit still and be quiet.

So what LexB, if you think about it for a bit, maybe kids would turn out not to be foul mouthed little brats if their parents took control of them at an early age. It`s understood that kids will be kids, but there is still a time when kids do need to be under parental control.

Thank you Only in America. As I run a cart into another wild running brat 5 yo in the grocery that thinks they can streak past my cart, or have another chair in a "family" restaurant crash into my back because another busy parent only gets concerned about their 3 yo jumping on the chair as it starts to topple over. You are absolutely correct. Can you imagine the uproar if one of those darlings tripped over studio cords and brought down cameras and lights?

Rebecca, I noticed the mother was VERY abrupt with Averie but let that little boy roam all over when Vieira was interviewing. She seemed quite tough on the little girl. The little girl's hair wasn't even combed nicely but the mom's cleavage was ALL THERE! I hope someone follows up on this in their home town.

Ann, where would we be, is we didn`t have perfect people like yourself to point out all our faults? If so many of you are perfect, what are you doing here on Earth with the rest of us imperfect humans? Or are you just here to judge the rest of us?

I think the mother was abrupt but when haven't we all been. I would like to meet the mother that has never been abrupt with her children. Just my opinion...she was nervous, anxious and on the TV for probably the first time in her life. Imagine how she would have acted if she knew that all of you people with negative, judgemental ideas, were going to be watching and picking apart her every word and movement.

Big standing "O" for you chief! Everyone is maligning the mother when the story is about the bravery of one special little girl. We should be posting about the magnitute of courage it took for this little girl to do what she did, not inspecting videos for the tiny stain that was on one of their shoes to initiate a call for parental neglect or the like. Some people aren't happy unless they can insult someone else to make themselves look good. Sad world we live in, really.

I could not agree more.. lets get back to the real story here. The bravery of that little girl, plus was the mother concious when the car tipped...? The girl did say she thought her mother was dead... helllo....

kids need discipline and thrive on it plain and simple..

this is an amazing story, and thank god that little girl made it to a house with people that helped her. this could have taken even worse turn...

Kudos, Chief - what this little girl did was indeed brave. Let's focus on the act of bravery, and leave the pitchforks and burning sticks out of it for now. How sad that there are so very many judgmental people out there . . .

the phrase is really "hear, hear"

I am so happy that I had not read all the previous posts, except for Chief CRD and Gertrude10 which I enjoyed, before I posted. It is great when we get to see the wonderful things that children and adults do. I like to read warm-hearted stories and yes I am a optimistic dope about those things. It is sad that all of you are focusing on the negative parts of the story and I do not disagree with them. I wonder though, if any of you have experienced an incident where you did not make the best judgement. If that happend I hope they are nicer to you than you are to this little girl's mom.

No TLW, these people are infact God's angels or Puritans, and therefore live lives of absolute innocence and purity. Their purposes in life are to go around exposing everyone elses faults and point their fingers at the evil sinners. I can almost see them now in their pilgrim clothes late at night, writing with an inked turkey feather into a book made of bark. The book is then taken by messenger on a horse to an internet cafe, where some evil person with knowledge of computers and who has led less than an entirely pure and righteous life, translates the holy messages from paper to web. I digress, it is a tedious process, but there is no rest for the holy. Ridiculous isnt it? yet thats what some of these people would have you believe lol.

Ok - so he must also be "in control" when a family of 4 gets brutaly tortured / murdered in their house in the middle of the night. oh wait - the same angels and hand of god are BUSY on those occasions....they were not included in "the plan". LOL - ridiculous

Illinois you believe what you want to believe and dont let some naysayer tell you otherwise. Give me a break is obviously one of those miserable people not happy unless he/she shatters other peoples dreams. Seriously, some people are not taught manners at all. If you you havent got anything nice to say.....

Do you know what is really ridiculous Give me a break? Your attitude towards the thoughts of others.

Thank you, Only in America, regardless if your post was ultimately brought about by my comments or not. I believed I was merely voicing my opinion. I wasn't looking to incite a riotous debate. :)

Nope, no one is talking about you on this thread

Adam T. Are you just this lonley?

Adam, for one thing, I didn`t direct that reply to you. Second, if I were you, I wouldn`t be so fast to say that everything you spew is correct. If it is so correct, why did your first post get collapsed? Oh yeah, I see you now have went back to each place you posted and added the same thing to each of them, over and over and over again, how your not out to incite a riotous debate. The H your not.

Better make sure she is here legally first. This story suspiciously leaves out a few details that lead you to think in that direction. A very brave little girl in any case.

Are you kidding??? You had to go there!!!

Sandy, how do we know that you are legally here yourself? No really, how does it feel to have someone say that about you? Your suspicious attitude leaves a lot to be desired, and really is not needed here.

Nice response hypocrit! LMAO. Guess this is a nice thing to say you dream shatterer....too funny. I am so SHOCKED to see you are a right wing radical. I will pray for you so that the hand of god can save you HYPOCRIT

Once again... another article, that has nothing to do with politics, is infiltrated by the narrow minded. I am not attacking your political or personal beliefs Sandy, however, you are focusing on a point that has nothing to do with this thread. Search Newsvine for another article, I am sure that you can find one that is better suited to your complaints.

Why is it that politics has to creep into EVERY facet of the day? Honestly, people, unplug your computers and go do something productive . . . volunteer, make the world a better place - put your body where your mouth is

Hate to talk smack about a little kid...but I would argue she was actually pretty dumb. Her mom was conscious and dialing 911. The kid didn't need to go get help, wandering off into the snow, risking death.

When I started reading how heroic she was, I was thinking that everyone in the car was going to be unconscious and the little girl saved them.

This strikes me as bad parenting. The first thing I would do was make sure my kids were OK and tell them what was going on. "Just stay right there, mommy is going to call for help." and then try to get out of the car myself and get the kids out. Maybe I'm just being a judgmental @!$%#, but I think I would notice if my kid climbed out of the car and started walking away.

Grace and mercy and the enmerrited favor of god saved them....cool. Guess the kid killed two counties over by a drunk driver was SOL when the "favoring" was distributed. LOL - ridiculous

Give me a break, why dont you try giving us one? If you havent got anything nice to say...

I have had to pull over a few times because my toddler can wiggle her arms out of the restraints in her carseat if they are not tight enough. She knows how to do the buckles and no doubt she will figure out how to undo them at some point.

Also, different states have different seatbelt laws regarding children. Only recently my state passed laws making child safety seats mandatory for children up to the age of eight. Like justme said-don't be so quick to judge unless you know all of the facts.

Good for these parents for giving their child the skills and confidence to cope with emergencies and articulate during difficult situations.

Justme, I know you and I aren't the only ones who raised "escape artists." Children can get out of any restraint you try to put them in if they try hard enough. You would think that people would focus on the happy ending and the bravery of that precious little girl. I also would like her to have the spotlight for her fifteen minutes.

i fixed our escape artist after about the third time they unbuckled themselves i tapped the brake they got the idea and buckled back in!

Children CANNOT get out of child seats if they are put in properly! If your child is getting out you're the PROBLEM! I have raised 4 children oldest 16 youngest is 5 and still in a double harness booster. 2 fingers under their harness is all the wiggle room they get PERIOD! If your child is getting out of the seat examine the seat look at seats in the store see if you need a better one. You that are faulting a 4 year old are expecting too much. Put the blame where it belongs on the adult(as the police did)

Another example of you being a complete hypocrit...I guess these are nice things to say? You are JOKE hesnotmypresident...complete JOKE - LOL!!

Ouch . . . come on people, play nice

Ah but theres a difference give, I wasnt commenting on someones beliefs such as you were I was commenting on someones ignorance, my post was warranted, your was not. Theres a difference between commenting upon things to cause trouble, and commenting on trouble that already exsists. Yours was designed just to be an @!$%#. Glad you proved me right :)

Hesnotmypresident,

Obviously you didn’t actually read my posts or didn’t understand them. Or maybe you are merely the negative one by making the assumptions that you have made? Nice positive handle/profile name you got there, btw. Way to take ownership of your ideas by hiding behind some fake name. Furthermore, I was merely voicing my opinion, you were the one that clearly became miserably nasty. Who is showing ignorance, you say? But your comments are kind’a funny, though. :)

Hey, hesnotmyprez, What do you think you are doing..your comments sound very self descriptive......The story was great and the little girl was very brave. The comment about giving her hot cocoa and whip cream - beautiful. All of the comments about not believing in god, very silly. If you are right you will go back to the dust you came from. If you are wrong you will be screwed! :)

Who died? Where?

Adam...Brian said "thinks her child is dead".

Brian...I agree

AZmom, you just have to ignore 90% of Adam's comments, he has reading issues...you can go all the way back to post 2 to see it.

Lol Unintended. I know, but I can't help it. I feel like I need to train him like a puppy or a newborn Jackass.

So shes a kid, who cares? Both my kids did it, and now are A+ honor students. Both my nephews did it and their favorite words were "Botch, and Ahole", but are now students with honors at MIT.

I missed that! OMG. (But -- maybe THAT'S where the little girl got her "ability" to go for help. She's FEARLESS!)

Yeah, I wonder where they learned all that from?

Holy, they probably learned it from me or society but the point remains it obviously wasnt that big a deal was it? They are all probably doing better than you are throwing your stones at your glass house.

Wendy - You have a very dirty mind. This is a four year old little girl & I seriously doubt she had been taught to flip someone off. If she has though, I certainly hope she was taught to save it for people just like you.

Wendy-939497----ARE YOU NUTS,,,,,,Sure sounds like you are. That child is to be rewarded for what she did. She walked through waist deep snow ONE QUARTER MILE to get her mother and little brother help. All the time thinking her mother was dead. THINK how she must have felt at the time. She was freezing, she could have froze to death, but she was not thinking of herself she was thinking of her (dead) mother and hurt brother. For you to think she, at 4 years old to be on National TV and making obscene gestures with her little hands that is only about, maybe, 2 inches across with little short fingers, YOU gotta be NUTS. You owe that baby and her mother and everyone that has read what you wrote an appoligy. I for one and I see a lot more are ashamed of you even being on this site. You need to get off here and go get some education then get a life.

Wendy-939497...I did see it but I'm pretty sure it was just an innocent coincidence. It is only obscene if we, as adults, perceive it that way.

Sounds like maybe you have me confused with the person in your mirror. But thanks for your positive and insightful comment, nevertheless, lucky.