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Jesse Watlington Act
- Posted by Amy K. Sica
To: We want to get a BILL started in Jesse Watlington's name that requires all youth sport complex's to install Early Warning Lightning Detection devices.
A tragedy has "STRUCK" in Lee County this past week and has claimed the life of an 11year old boy by the name of Jesse Watlington. He was a football player at a private Christian School in Fort Myers Florida. He was only eleven. He passed away on October 7th, 2012. Our hearts are saddened for...
…This petition closed on November 5, 2012.
4,222 people signed a petition
Many of us have children who participate in sports at the schools they attend and this would be a great way to try and protect them from the storms that often happen. This would be an EARLY DETECTION and would allow the schools to actually have an alarm that would sound if the storm is too close for comfort. In doing this we as parents can rest a little better knowing that precautions are being done to protect our children. I personally do not want my children to be a statistic.
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Discuss the petition
Saddd...many coaches continue practices in storms...my son who is 11 has,been kept on the field...safety should be first..
Please sign.
That is crazy and senseless!! These are ELEVEN yr old KIDS!! These are not 'pro' athletes getting paid millions a year, and if they were, they would probably refuse to be on the field during thunder and lightening. I'd pull my kid off so fast it'd make their heads spin!! This is SO sad!!
Knowing that Florida is the lightning capital no sport or any practice should be played when there are storms near or far!! People have neen hit by lightning on the beach with the sun out and storms way far away.
If there was not a meter that is a travesty. All of my sons have had lightening meters on their outdoor sports fields for at least 10 years. This field did not?
PLEASE pass a bill for EARLY WARNING LIGHTNING DETECTION DEVICES so that no other family has to endure the same pain as Jesse Watlington's family did!!
that is bull shit the school needs to pull all the kids back in and all the sports teachers need to keep them in even if it looks like its going to rain
I remember growing up in Orlando we cleared the field when lightning was present especially during Spring training. But how can you prevent this? A bolt of lightning hit a tree next to my car as I was going into a restaurant in Atlanta and there was no sign of bad weather.
BTW: my deepest sympathies in this tragic and no doubt painful loss.
What a tragedy.
I wonder if some type of lightning rod could be put up-a highly conductive high point for the lightning to take the path of least resistantance, instead of a human or a tree.
The school did have this device. It was the first lightening strick so that's why the device had not gone off yet.
They should create a petition that enforces 911 dispatchers to be more competent!!
They were very competent, and coaches started CPR immediately. Nothing more could be done. The strike was instant, and he did not suffer. There was nothing anyone could do. We mourn a loss, but we are thankful for all those that were responders.
God Bless His Family! This kind of thing doesnt have to happen.
RIP Jesse. To all you coaches, listen and pay attention to those lightening meters they don't work when kept in your pocket or even ignored while holding in your hand.. This is about our children's lives, not about missed practice time, or winning the game.
well said Jules!
This is a MUST! We can not rely on "judgement calls" when kids lives are at stake. Intolerable! (Not that Jesse's couches did anything wrong. But in other cases grave misuse of infallibility happens A LOT in youth sports. The old adage comes to mind: "rub some dirt on it." Again, intolerable.)