Okay... so Mo broke this kid's arm....

I'd contact them being concerned for the kid, but light on the apologetic...

Had Dave broken his arm while rough housing with Mo, he could not have
been able to play at all. It would have been too painful to play.

I probably would inquire about his mishap and wish him well but no apologies
necessary.

My daughter had her arm broken a few years ago - also while goofing off with
other kids. It happens. At the Children's ER there was almost an assembly line for taking x-rays and getting on casts - I couldn't believe how many kids came
in with broken arms, wrists, legs....

Just wish Dave well and leave it at that!

I dont think that youre really feeling guilty enough. I detect a few unused sympathetic neurons that are still untouched.

I don't get it, farmerman, but thanks Rockhead and CJane.



That's what I thought too!

I was wondering if maybe something happened between the game and Friday but I asked Dave about it at school and he said it was from the ballgame crash.

So maybe something like "I'm just calling to check on Dave. I didn't realize that his crash with Mo had left his arm so injured. I saw his cast and read your email and I just want to make sure that he's okay"?

Would it be okay just to respond to her email that she sent to the whole team or should I call her?

I've known kids to do stuff with a broken arm...I guess it depends on how deforming the fracture is?

I'd incline to calling her if you know her well enough.

email, Keep it at a distance.

it depends on the type of break as to if he could play out the game. I walked/limped 200 meters up a steep slope back to the 4wd with a broken leg (It was the only way I was gonna get any help), but i sure knew about it at the time.

I've played on with a broken forearm, it happens, adrenaline and all.

be concerned, don't be guilty.

(america the lawsuit country)

I got a lot of sympathetic emails when sozlet had surgery -- you can probably keep it along those lines without getting into guilt or "is he OK?" (If he has a broken arm, the OK-ness is probably limited.)

Just something like replying to the email with, "I saw Dave's cast at school... poor kid! Hope he heals up very soon. We'll miss him at baseball."

Probably not worth it to pursue whether he REALLY broke it in the crash or later.

There is no guaranteed timeline on how long it takes for a fracture to be diagnosed. Could be minutes, can range up to months in some odd cases (I've worked with a few of those - always a surprise when they turn up).

no to referencing the crash with Mo
no to "hope he's ok"
no to a call at this point
(Rockhead's right about America the litigious)

email - brief

Seriously...when two kids crash into each other playing, youi have to worry about being sued in the USA???

That's SERIOUSLY fucked up.

I'd call"if you know her well enough" and inquire about Dave. Don't duck it but don't stick you chin out either.

Thanks so much, everyone!

I don't know Dave's family at all. That's really a big part of the problem. I don't know if they're "kids will be kids" type people or if they're "your monster kid hurt my kid" kind of people.

I was there when it happened but didn't see the crash. The other kid, Nick, distanced himself from the action by trying to blame Mo for the injury. The team's coach, who did see the crash, said "It wasn't his fault, all of you were involved" then told me and Dave's mom that the kids were "horsing around" and Dave's arm got hurt.

Mo was upset but mostly because Nick was trying to blame him, explaining it was an accident and that he didn't mean to hurt Dave. I got Mo calmed down and went to check on Dave who said his arm hurt but that he was okay.

The game went on, everyone played, we all said "See you Monday" and I thought that was that until I saw the cast on Dave's arm two days later. There didn't seem to be any hard feelings between Dave and Mo.

Mo really is a good kid. I talk about the problem stuff here so much that you all probably think he's a bad kid but really he isn't. He is a little.... different... though, and doesn't have a lot of friends. I worry less about a lawsuit (too many people were there to know it was an accident) than I am about giving kids further reason to exclude him. (Moms around here are ruthless and gossipy though I don't know if Dave's mom is.)

An email reply (brief, sympathetic) to what she sent out sounds good then. I'm talking now via email with someone on sozlet's softball team who I've never met -- no idea who she is. Sozlet isn't cleared to do sports until after a follow-up appt. (soon) so we haven't actually been to any practices or games yet.

So something like...

Wow. I had no idea the boy's collision was that intense! Poor Dave.

We all look forward to him being back on the team as soon as possible.

?

Leave out the first sentence. Just the second sentence is enough.

Boomer, I would not mention the collision at all. Just wish Dave well and
that Mo is looking forward to him being back on the team.....

For all we know, Dave could have fallen again, or else broke his arm.

yup.

don't say ****. It could be construed in court as an admission of responsibilty and guilt. It sucks, but that's the reality.

The Bear has a point. Especially since you don't know what kind of folk they are. I'd send a funny get well card to Dave from Mo and leave it alone.