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10-year-old swept into storm drain to become an organ donor, dad says

A 10-year-old boy who was swept into a storm drain while helping his family clean up storm debris is being kept on life support so that his organs can be donated, according to his father.

The boy, Asher Sullivan, “officially passed away” on May 18, but remains on life support to facilitate the organ donation process, his dad, Jimmy Sullivan, wrote in a Facebook post.

“It’s 100% an ‘Asher’ type thing to do in continuing to be selfless,” Sullivan shared on Facebook. “He will have an honor walk at the hospital in the next few days and be celebrated as he is, a hero!”

Oderus ,

We all float down here Georgie

rayyy ,

Due to increased hurricanes and flooding we probably need a law that specifies storm drains have some type of safety grate. This isn’t that rare either - years ago a friend’s daughter died after being sucked into a drainage pipe.

theRealBassist , (edited )

I worked for the stormwater division of my city up until recently.

We had 6 people responsible for the inspection of over 30,000 pieces of stormwater infrastructure all of which needs to be inspected within a 5 year cycle. We also have to deal with citizen complaints, assisting other departments, updating maps/inventories, writing EPD/EPA reports, etc. and all for 15-18$/hr. My experience is far from abnormal as well.

We need city level government to actually give a shit about stormwater infrastructure to even get things working halfway properly let alone setup safety features.

Dasus ,

Your comment made me think of John Oliver’s episode on infrastructure

Krauerking ,

Honestly a lot of jobs should be helping maintain and service a city where there is larger products being made to pay the bills but everyone is scared of the money maker walking out on them and having to manage to the kids without the income so we just got rid of and cut back as much as possible and figure it will just work out.

My city hires work visa immigrants for bottom barrel prices to handle road infrastructure. Roads, the thing we care about most here in the USA and we can’t even properly fix and maintain them.

A good city employs it’s people to maintain the city while it’s citizens figure out new services and products to make for more generated revenue. We let the whole place go to shit though and now no one wants it anymore.

RubberElectrons ,
@RubberElectrons@lemmy.world avatar

NYC DEP?

Numenor ,

This, but also make it a rule that any new ones have a grill or improved design or something.

it seems that it’s only the US that uses that design, I could be incorrect. But presumably other places have streets and storms and have have to come up with a solution that doesn’t have enough space to house an adult sized male clown.

Big_Boss_77 ,

Not discounting safety features… but wouldn’t the delta p in that situation be enough to take you out anyways? Or is the bigger problem once you’re inside the infrastructure?

Stalinwolf ,
@Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca avatar

As a father of a four-year-old, this story makes me want to fucking puke. Swept into a storm drain is one of the most horrific ways I could imagine losing my little girl.

PotatoesFall ,

Kids dying this way is 100% expected given the braindead design of US storm drains

Potatos_are_not_friends ,

I never actually thought about this.

Why exactly are storm drains designed like that with a opening for little kids to get sucked in?

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/39e8a0eb-36c0-49e1-8d13-ef4663199988.jpeg

Do other countries (with similar weather) have the same problems?

PotatoesFall ,

The one on that picture is actually okay, I’ve seen way bigger openings.

Never seen them outside North America.

IsThisAnAI ,

To lessen debris getting stuck. No idea if it’s effective.

Sasha ,

We have similar drains in Australia, I don’t think it’s particularly common but I have seen them get completely clogged in a big storm. Nearly flooded our friends house because they lived at the bottom of a hill.

IsThisAnAI ,

I did say lessen. I’ve seen many sized drains get clogged in flooding haha.

Scrollone ,

Why don’t they add a grid? That’s completely unsafe

Zorg ,
@Zorg@lemmings.world avatar

This 3 foot pipe is also considered a storm drain. Unclear in the article if he was sucked down a street drain with unnecessarily large opening, or a drain for a creek.

theRealBassist ,

That’s not a storm drain, known as an inlet. That’s a pipe section functioning as a culvert or outfall.

Blackmist ,

We have the grate in the floor, but not the massive openings that clown monsters live in.

catloaf ,

I live in the US and I’ve never seen one like that, only the square ones on the ground.

Duamerthrax ,

Those are big enough for kids to fit in? I’ve seen them, but I think the ones I’ve seen were still narrower then that.

People are talking about needing more inspectors, but they shouldn’t even be manufacturing these with wide openings.

PorradaVFR ,

What an amazing gesture and selfless decision by a family living my worst nightmare. That is achingly beautiful.

cyborganism ,

What kind of awful title is that???

tiredofsametab ,

I mean, why else would you sweep children into drains?

RIP little dude. My cousin died around the same age and also became an organ donor.

iAmTheTot ,
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

What's awful about it? Unless you mean that it's a ten year old passing away, that is sad.

puppy ,

The unambiguous title should be,

“10-year-old swept into storm drain will become an organ donor, dad says”

The title used kinda sounds like the boy willingly swept into the drain “to” become an organ donor.

Undearius ,
@Undearius@lemmy.ca avatar

“is”. They literally just needed to add the word “is” to make it clear.

10-year-old swept into storm drain is to become an organ donor, dad says

subignition ,
@subignition@kbin.social avatar

The frequency with which people have trouble with newspaper-headline grammar makes me feel old...

gentooer ,

When English isn’t your first language, this is a really confusing title.

otp ,

It’s weird when English is your first language, too. No one speaks or writes like this except in Newspaper headlines.

iAmTheTot ,
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

Feeling this myself right now.

capital ,

I’m only 33 and the title makes perfect sense to me.

I can see how if English isn’t your first language it can sound weird.

iAmTheTot ,
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

That's not really how that works though, so that misunderstanding is on the readers' part. One doesn't "swept" themself.

puppy ,

The other commentor has mentioned the correct phrase in the newspaper speak,

“10-year-old swept into storm drain is to become an organ donor, dad says”

Without the “is”, the ambiguity exists.

One doesn’t “swept” themself.

Why not? “Swept” is also the simple past tense of “sweep”, in addition to the past participle used in passive voice.

iAmTheTot ,
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

Will simply have to disagree. This is perfectly normal for a newspaper headline and not ambiguous, to me.

Chainweasel ,

The title makes it sound like the storm drain is some sort of organ harvesting machine and he was purposefully placed in there so his organs could be donated.

gedaliyah ,
@gedaliyah@lemmy.world avatar

I thought I was the only one. Careless use of the word “to.”

BruceTwarzen ,

I thought it's an onion article. We need new organs. Sweep some 10 year old into a storm drain

capital ,

“They are to become an organ donor.”

smackjack ,

Reminds me of the poor newscaster who was murdered and set on fire.

cyborganism ,

Hahahahaha what the fuck???

theneverfox ,

I interpret it as a grieving father turning an accident into a heroic choice made by his son

robocall ,
@robocall@lemmy.world avatar

The kid is going to save a lot of other lives by being an organ donor. I have no idea why people would opt out of being a donor.

Deceptichum ,
@Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works avatar

Organ donation should be the default state, rather than an opt-in deal.

labsin ,

That is the case in Belgium.

It is not enforced tho. If you didn’t register as a donor, they will still ask the relatives, especially of they need to keep the body on life support after the person is declared dead.

bitchkat ,

Don’t forget you can also donate your corpse to medical schools!

Nurse_Robot ,

That came across as if you were being facetious, but maybe I’m wrong. Tone is difficult to assess over text

bitchkat ,

Not facetious at all. At my local university, they pick up the body, use if for whatever and when done, they will cremate (mass) and return ashes to family if they want. Every dollar that doesn’t go to the funeral industry is a benefit to mankind.

iAmTheTot , (edited )
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

In the US, at least, I believe you cannot specifically donate to medical schools. Generally you indicate that you'd like to be used to medical research or teaching, but that can be a wide variety of things.

To be clear, I still support and advocate for this, but believe people should be informed.

bitchkat ,

That’s what I meant Captain Pedantic. And I’m having a hard time figuring out what you think I meant? My body is going to the local state University for medical training and research. I mean, they sure aren’t going to working on healing my former body.

iAmTheTot ,
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

I'm not sure why my comment was met with such hostility. As I said, I support it, but wanted to add further context. A lot of people have this idea of donating their body to research meaning that they will be used to train students or something similar, but that is simply not always true and you don't typically get to decide what they do with it. They may well end up putting your bones on display or doing something else "unsavoury" with it that might surprise a lot of people.

bitchkat ,

I really don’t care what happens to my former body once I’m dead. I’m not using it any more.

iAmTheTot , (edited )
@iAmTheTot@kbin.social avatar

That's great for you; my comments were not necessarily directed to you, they were adding context for any other readers.

theneverfox ,

John Oliver has an interesting episode about what else that can mean in America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7egDQ9lPg

cobysev ,

My father did this. He signed up for his body to be donated to science. He always told me, the minute he passes, there’s a card in his wallet with a phone number. Just call them and they’ll come out to pick up his body. That’s it; no funeral or anything. He didn’t believe in wasting money on a funeral or burial plot/coffin after he was dead. When they’re done with their research, they’ll return his cremated remains to us.

Sadly, I had to call that number a few months ago.

bitchkat ,

Your dad was a smart man. I too plan on avoiding the scummy funeral industry!

Dasus ,

I too plan on avoiding the scummy funeral industry!

Uh… well… about scummy industries… I have what is perhaps slightly depressing news on that.

catloaf ,

Your father is helping train the next generation of doctors!

Iheartcheese ,
@Iheartcheese@lemmy.world avatar

People are convinced that if you are an organ donor doctors let you die on purpose.

People are morons.

Mantis_Toboggan ,
@Mantis_Toboggan@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, for decades I’ve heard that theory too. I’ve always thought of it as an urban myth.

5714 ,

It’s kinda the opposite, because for the fire brigade and emergency services the existence of organ harvesting incentives even ‘lost causes’ to be saved.

Blackmist ,

If you’re in the sort of country where people will kill you for your organs, I don’t think they’re in the habit of asking permission first…

Thunderbird4 ,

Are you in the US? I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from being an organ donor, it’s obviously a great necessity and saves thousands of lives, but I’m always amazed that the bottomless skepticism of our for-profit healthcare system dries up on certain topics.

We all love to moan about greedy health insurance companies and hospital administrations putting profit above the actual health of patients and outcomes of procedures, so why is it taken for granted that, when faced with a decision to go to extraordinary lengths to save a badly injured, uninsured person, or get expensive organs for 3 or 4 insured people at the top of the recipient list, that the responsible parties will make the right decision? Hell, even without a profit motive, that can be a difficult decision that can be influenced by personal beliefs and biases.

I certainly don’t know enough about exactly how these decisions are made to have a strong opinion, but I don’t think it’s fair to characterize potentially warranted skepticism as moronic.

OneOrTheOtherDontAskMe ,

There’s just never been evidence to suggest (in any meaningful way) a doctor made a decision compromising the life of the organ donor to make use in other patients, that would be medical malpractice and the first people looking to sue you after a loved one dies are the ones signing the papers giving permission.

Calling the opinion moronic may not be nice, but the idea is something I’d say is foolish. Like if you went through life thinking vaccines are some kind of conspiracy for profit, the evidence just isn’t there and there’s enough of it on the contrary that to suggest it would be foolishness.

shani66 ,

Even dumber when you realize the hospital absolutely doesn’t need a little card to let you die.

someguy3 ,

It should be be an opt out system rather than an opt in.

theneverfox ,

I hear “the doctors will give up on me more easily” if they even have an argument they can put into words. Which seems ridiculous to me - if they even bother to check, it seems like they’d be more willing to put time and effort into keeping your body intact, giving you a better chance to bounce back despite long odds

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