Queens baby dies after falling into mop bucket at day care center

[alienlovechild 75]

Police were investigating the death of a Queens baby who perished Monday when he fell headfirst into a mop bucket at his baby-sitter's house.

James Farrior, who would have been 1 year old next month, was declared dead at Jamaica Hospital at 11:25 a.m.

"What can I say, he was my baby? We're trying to cope," said his devastated mom, Chrisann Josiah. "We don't know what happened yet."

It was not immediately clear if James drowned or broke his neck. An autopsy will be performed today.

"I saw the firefighters bring the boy out. He was gasping for air," said neighbor Billy Casares, 41. "It's heartbreaking."

Baby-sitter Kristal Khan, 28, who normally took care of two neighborhood kids along with her small son and daughter in an informal but legal day care arrangement, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said.

Police sources said Khan told cops James and her two kids, ages 3 and 4, were in the living room with the bucket when she went to fetch a mop.

When she came back, she found James had fallen headfirst into the blue 7-gallon mop bucket that was three-quarters full of water.

At Khan's green two-story house on 108th St. in South Richmond Hill, colorful stickers on the door advertise, "Childcare, All Day, Everyday."

The operation had no permits or license, but did not require any because there were fewer than three outside kids and the caregiver was older than 18.

Neighbors said Khan is well-known and well-regarded.

"She usually takes good care of the kids," said William Munoz, 40. "She's a very responsible person."

Khan's Web site says she is a married, convent-educated immigrant from Trinidad who taught elementary school for eight years and has a teacher certificate.

Because children can drown quickly and virtually silently in small amounts of water, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children, after car crashes.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/0...er__police.html

Edited June 16, 2009 by alienlovechild

[Ladylethal 12]

Sounds like a terrible accident. Obviously people have to be extra extra careful when taking care of little babies, but leaving for a few seconds to grab a mop is something a lot of us could do without thinking the baby will crawl to the bucket, raise himself and tumble into it.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well babies are kind of top-heavy. It seems perfectly plausible that this could have happened, freakish as it seems.

[Peikko 1,575]

Tragic, such deaths always are. I sincerely hope this woman is not castigated for life for this mistake though. Foolish to leave a mop bucket for a few moments? Possibly. Understandable? Totally. You can bet she blames herself. Look how she is described by those who knew her, responsible and caring. This is not the tale of a monster unless there is some major piece of the puzzle missing from this account.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[Chica Yeyé 41]

God, this is awful -- what a tragedy indeed

[cdneh 3,112]

Well babies are kind of top-heavy. It seems perfectly plausible that this could have happened, freakish as it seems.

That's just it. They are top heavy, and once they lean into something like a pail or a bucket, it is nearly impossible for them to get out of that situation.

I am an EMT-P and the worse one similar I had was a nine month old who drowned in a toilet bowl. He'd dropped a toy in there, and was trying to retrieve it. By the time he was discovered and we were called, there was nothing we could do for him. Very sad I went around for years telling people to keep the lid down. That and slyly taking the wheels of baby walkers.

[mawilson 2,133]

At least they didn't throw away the baby with the mop-bucket water

[Chica Yeyé 41]

At least they didn't throw away the baby with the mop-bucket water

[mawilson 2,133]

At least they didn't throw away the baby with the mop-bucket water

If you love babies so much, why don't you make one?

[Marina-Del 10]

Ah, very sad accident

[Amby 490]

At least they didn't throw away the baby with the mop-bucket water

[Mags 112]

I thought the Queen had had a baby and it died. I thought it was odd as she's 110, or something.

[Amby 490]

I thought the Queen had had a baby and it died. I thought it was odd as she's 110, or something.

that's what I thought when I first read the title