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Autistic man left in vehicle outside East Naples bowling alley
Woodside Lanes Bowling Alley
8525 Radio Road, Naples, Fl
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Trapped inside a scorching hot van for more than an hour on Tuesday while his fellow special needs campers went bowling, a severely autistic man attempted to claw and chew his way out to no avail.
It wasn’t until the campers finished bowling and returned to the parking lot that counselors found the man alive, but in urgent need of medical care.
The campers, who are mostly young adults in a therapeutic recreation program run by Collier County Parks and Recreation, arrived at Woodside Lanes bowling alley, 8525 Radio Lane, around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, parks and recreation spokeswoman Camden Smith said.
Most of the campers, who all suffer from debilitating diseases, arrived on a county school bus, but six of them arrived in a van.
“They rode in the van because of their physical restrictions — physical or mental,” Smith said.
Somehow, when the rest of the campers went into the bowling alley, a 26-year-old camper who cannot speak was left inside the van. The man’s name hasn’t been released.
Each of the program’s counselors was assigned five participants, Smith said, and it is unclear if one of the counselors was distracted when unloading the campers from the bus and van.
For more than an hour, the man struggled to escape as he baked inside the van in the estimated 90-degree heat.
Smith said the man is capable of turning a door knob, but struggles with pulling.
“He obviously was frantic because areas in the van were damaged including the steering wheel, which appeared to be clawed at or bitten because he wasn’t able to get himself out of the vehicle,” Smith said.
The campers actually finished bowling early, Smith said. When the counselors brought the campers back to the parking lot around 11:30 a.m., they found the 26-year-old still in the van.
“They saw this gentleman in the van conscious and breathing, but he didn’t look very good,” Smith said.
The counselors brought the man inside the bowling alley, laid him on the cool tile floor in one of the bathrooms and poured cool water on him to bring his body temperature down.
Eventually, Collier County EMS arrived and transported the man to a Collier County hospital. The man later was released from the hospital, Smith said.
“His mother and the father said they did not wish to press charges,” Smith said. “They know the counselor who was in charge of their son.”
The counselor was placed on paid administrative leave while the county investigates the case.
Smith said it is perplexing how none of the counselors noticed the man wasn’t inside with the rest of the group.
Staff members were emotional when they found the man, and teared up Tuesday when the case was brought up, Smith said. In a prepared statement, the parks and recreation department said leaving a special needs camper alone in a van was “unacceptable.”
“We are thankful that this adult program participant is healthy and OK,” the statement read. “We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident and will take appropriate action upon the conclusion of the investigation.”
Smith said the 26-year-old’s parents plan on returning him to the camp.
“We don’t believe this was purposeful in any means,” she said. “But we have to fix whatever protocol may not have been followed.”
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Poor guy, It must have felt like a lifetime in that vehicle.
#1 Posted by GulfCoast53 on July 23, 2008 at 10:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Glad he is okay, you have to wonder though how do you miss a 26 yr old ? we arnt talking about a small child here.. Im sure things will work out as they are supposed to..
#2 Posted by obwon on July 23, 2008 at 11:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One little , two little , three little ...
If each counselor was assigned five participants, you would figure one counselor might get a little suspious when he only counted four participants?
Appears that the counselors aren't any brighter or more able then said participants...
#3 Posted by Jadip811 on July 24, 2008 at 5:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank God he is OK. This an unfortunate wake up call for CC Parks and Rec to check and double-check ALL their camps for safety guidelines. This could happen at any camps that take field trips or lets kids out to play at lunchtime. It is a challenge to manage these large groups, but parents are trusting that their kids will be cared for while they work. Lets take some extra time and extra precautions to ensure our kids stay safe.
#4 Posted by keepthepeace on July 24, 2008 at 6 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If it was a puppy, somebody would be in jail right now.
#5 Posted by myrealname on July 24, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
it would be interesting to know if the camp was properly staffed. The article only references a counselor...where was the person in charge of the trip? Doesn't the counselor have a supervisor? Where was that person?
#6 Posted by squall_line on July 24, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is this type of program a County responsibility? What about one or two of the many, many nonprofits in our area? Maybe they can earn their tax-exempt status by taking over this program.
#7 Posted by Bramble on July 24, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yes, it's fortunate he is ok and unfortunate it happened, simple solution... Head counts!!!
#8 Posted by TDX on July 24, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is the truth. The consular is at fault. The supervisor even more causes she new they were short of staff. The man did not chew the searing wheel. He just laid on the back floorboard. He always lays on the floor wherever he goes. The consular grew up with a disabled brother and knows how to take care of people with these issues and is a loving person. the parks and rec let staff go, with out anyone to replace them. Parks and Rec want to wash their hands with the consular when they know they were short staffed and hired incompetent supervisors!
#9 Posted by Godistruelove on July 24, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have worked with special needs patients for years and the one thing that is embedded in your brain is the counting. You always count the people you are assigned to care for at all times. This is totally unexcusable. And the parents to say this was not on purpose is enexcusable - send him /her back. This is your child and you are suppose to protect your child at all costs. Sleep peaceful knowing an "accident" could happen again with a different ending, oh but it was an accident.
#10 Posted by Froggimo on July 24, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jadip...I was thinking the exact same thing. If each counselor was in charge of 5 campers, how does 1 get left behind. Secondly, a 26 year old cant exactly "hide" in a van. Im glad he is okay but he must have been going absolutely crazy in that van.
#11 Posted by SandnSurf on July 24, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
if each was assigned five, and there were six campers in the van, then maybe no one was assigned to this poor guy who was unlucky to be sixth person. sad.
#12 Posted by esprit on July 24, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Two "good" ends to this article: (1) The man is ok; and (2) NO LAWSUIT! Thank you, parents, for not looking for the $$$ in this sad matter. If only others would follow suit.
#13 Posted by mpulsivebat on July 24, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't remember ever hearing about the option of not getting arrested, if you left your kid in the car. Why is there an option in this case??
#14 Posted by myrealname on July 24, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The point that is being missed here is that CC Parks and Rec did not do their job. Plain and Simple! Their job is to provide a safe place for its' participants (whether they are children, adults, or the elderly). Someone dropped the ball and they are extremly lucky that no charges are being pressed and that the young man survived with no visible scares. The county is too worried about their bottom line with all of the recent budget crunches. If the county would be more thorough in its hiring and training procedures things such as the above story should NEVER happen! CC Parks and Rec. cares more about saving current job positions by placing incompotent employees into positions that should be left vacant. I would rather the county have to shut down a program then to offer a program that falls short in providing the very care that patrons belive that they are getting by leaving their loved ones in the care of CC Parkks and Rec. This should be a wake up call for the county to start making changes because the next fellow may not be so lucky!
#15 Posted by Roscoe on July 24, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I looked it up: the person in charge of the camp is currently on unpaid administrative leave for something completely unrelated to duties with parks & rec that happened 3 years ago in another job. That person was put out to pasture "to protect the county's image". The person Parks & Rec "plugged in" to supervise doesn't like disabled people and is only there to fill a quota. So the counselors are having to pick up that slack, too.
#16 Posted by squall_line on July 24, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can see how this could happen: Each counselor is assigned 5 people. 6 people in the group go in a van instead of the bus. Van Counselor is in charge of 5 of the 6 people in the van. On the bus, we have Bus Counselor, who is in charge of her 4 people, and the lone guy in the van.
Van Counselor takes his/her 5 van people inside to bowl, thinking Bus Counselor will be getting his/her 5th person out of the van. Bus Counselor takes his/her 4 bus people inside to bowl, thinking Van Counselor brought the 5th person in.
Not that it's okay..I'm just saying...I could see how it happened.
#17 Posted by tee on July 24, 2008 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good for the parents for their thoughtful, responsible response. There's really no excuse for the carelessness of the caregivers, but I'm sure they are traumatized as well.
#18 Posted by GladILeft on July 24, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They fired people for inappropriate emails at the county, so I hope that this results in someone losing their job. There is absolutely no excuse to leave someone in the van. If they did a head count they would have noticed.
#19 Posted by Justmy2cents on July 24, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How sad it is when all the community wants is to lynch somebody. Fire 'em! Sue 'em!
Accidents do happen folks. Get over it and move on.
#20 Posted by mattmaki on July 24, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Get over it and move on? I hope nothing tragic ever happens to you or someone in your family. Because I am sure you won't be able to get over it and move on. Or maybe you will - uhmm, lessons are learned.
#21 Posted by Froggimo on July 24, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To godistruelove...You are saying that you know more about this than the Parks and Rec spokesperson, Camden Smith?
Your quote:
The man did not chew the searing wheel. He just laid on the back floorboard.
Camden Smith's quote:
“He obviously was frantic because areas in the van were damaged including the steering wheel, which appeared to be clawed at or bitten because he wasn’t able to get himself out of the vehicle,” Smith said.
Were you there?
#22 Posted by PHATFROG on July 24, 2008 at 10:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
mattmaki, this is not a "move right along situation."
This guy could've died waiting.
The sheer terror he went through was probably aweful for anyone to imagine.
Phatfrog, she is a spokesperson, and she tries to get the info out there. Why pick on the messenger?
Hopefully, ALL CAMPS in Parks and Rec, will learn to perform headcounts both before and after unloading. It is a simple procedure.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
I'm outta fingers, so I'll stop there.
#23 Posted by beetlejuice on July 24, 2008 at 11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
beetle, I'm not picking on the messanger, on the contrary! It appears that godistruelove is discrediting the spokesperson. I was questioning the blogger, who was trying to downplay the situation.
You are right, beetle, headcount is the answer! I'm glad the young man survived this horrible ordeal.
#24 Posted by PHATFROG on July 25, 2008 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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