Man fined for flying drone that hit baby in the face
- Thread starter Mr. Salty
- Start date
2 things; a) he wouldn't have been fined b) he would still be libel for the injuries...be safe, fly smart!
The city's fine was minimal. I predict an eventual lawsuit will be more costly.
Davenport man fined $160 for flying drone that hit baby in the face
A 19-year-old Davenport, Iowa, man has been issued a civil citation for flying a drone that struck and injured a 1-year-old last month.
Cassandra Roberts took her 1-year-old son Atticus to Crow Creek Park in Bettendorf, Iowa, on July 24, where he was struck in the face with a drone while sitting on the swings.
The boy had cuts on his face and his mother took him to Trinity Bettendorf Hospital where doctors gave him three stitches on his cheek and two in his lips.
After Atticus was hit, two men flying the drone at nearby soccer fields came over to Roberts and apologized for hitting her son. She was focused on bringing her son to the hospital and did not get their names, Roberts said.
The Bettendorf Police Department wrote on Facebook Monday that the individuals had been identified.
One of them, who was piloting the drone when it struck Atticus, will pay a $160 fine, including a $75 civil penalty to the city of Bettendorf and $85 in court costs, police said.
One-year-old Atticus was struck by a drone while playing in Bettendorf's Crow Creek Park with his mother on July 24. Police have fined a 19-year-old Davenport man $160 for flying the drone in a city park without permission. (Photo: Special to the Register)
A Bettendorf ordinance prohibits flying a drone in a city park without permission, said Bettendorf Police Capt. Justin Paul.
Paul said the permission process runs through the city's Parks and Recreation director, who can give written permission to fly a drone that must be shown to a police officer if requested.
Paul said there may have been two people flying the drone, but the citation was only issued to the person who was flying the drone when it struck Atticus.
As for the boy, Paul said recent pictures show he is recovering.
"I’m sure there’s going to be some scars but it certainly looks a lot better than it did when it first happened," he said.
Why in the world was he flying so low in a park with so many kids & people? That is just asking for a lawsuit... Gives droners a bad name too...
JSKCKNIT
Well-Known Member
The article says the two were flying at a soccer field. Their drone struck a child on a swing at the playground.
Stating that they were flying in a park near the victims is extremely misleading and confusing to those from other countries not familiar with our verbage. Not trying to defend the pilots or their actions, just we should all stick to the story.
"On 07/24/18, at approximately 11:00am, a mother and her one year old son were at the Crow Creek Park playground equipment,"
"After Atticus was hit, two men flying the drone at nearby soccer fields came over to Roberts and apologized for hitting her son."
Stating that they were flying in a park near the victims is extremely misleading and confusing to those from other countries not familiar with our verbage. Not trying to defend the pilots or their actions, just we should all stick to the story.
"On 07/24/18, at approximately 11:00am, a mother and her one year old son were at the Crow Creek Park playground equipment,"
"After Atticus was hit, two men flying the drone at nearby soccer fields came over to Roberts and apologized for hitting her son."
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JSKCKNIT
Well-Known Member
Another thing to note, there's a large antenna right across the street from the playground. I wonder if it caused interference and the teen pilot couldn't recover?
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In every country in the world, injuring someone else, is illegal.
Everyone who causes an injury, will face consequences,no matter what he used to make the injury.
There's no need of a law about drones causing injuries.
And I don't feel that a drone accident, even caused by an idiot, makes my drone "look bad".
My car, my kitchen tools and my dog, don't look bad, also.
Everyone who causes an injury, will face consequences,no matter what he used to make the injury.
There's no need of a law about drones causing injuries.
And I don't feel that a drone accident, even caused by an idiot, makes my drone "look bad".
My car, my kitchen tools and my dog, don't look bad, also.
It must have been a small (max mavic size) one. The baby would not have survived a hit with a bigger drone like an Inspire I can assure you. Read the article as far as your other question concerns.
Anyone flying a drone is responsible for mitigating the risks involved. Even if it's caused by interference. Flying close to people while there is a chance of interference is a crime. But of course an untrained teen wouldn't know that, just like many (most) people DJI aims at.
alanren
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It was just a matter of time before some idiot flying in the wrong place injured an innocent passer by. Try putting yourself in they kids shoes. One minute playing and the next your face being lacerated by a flying machine with four razor sharp blades. Fortunately kids tend to be quite resilyant and hopefully he will soon be running around as if nothing happend. On the wider view, an individual who has never really thought about the pleasure hobby flyers get, if asked will only remember that a drone flew into an innocent kids face causing him fear and pain. A 160 dollar fine pales into insignificants. Any calls for higher and more appropriate fines should be supported or we could face more stringent controls over where we can practice our hobby.
I feel very sorry that little boy. If it was my son things would go south drastically for this drone guy. Nature kicks in at such moments. I'm a reasonable person until you injure my kids.
Unfortunately a lip injury like that will leave a nasty scar for the rest of that boys life. It will change his face. No plastic surgery can fully repair that. He is growing too quickly. My son had a bad injury in his first year of life. He had several operations but his skin was growing too fast. Now he is an adult and still suffers from the scars.
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Well said...that scar for life is what will get him a big settlement in court...be safe, fly smart
I'm all for that. But humanity has peeked decades ago in smartness, We are on the way down, thanks to the app culture.
JSKCKNIT
Well-Known Member
For the record, I wasn't trying to defend the pilot or anything. I always say, your drone, your responsibility. The crash investigator in me was curious to know what caused the accident. Nothing more.
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