essay about home accident

Accidents happen. We’ve all suffered our share. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 45. And though our homes are where we feel most comfortable, they’re also where many accidents happen — especially among young children and seniors. To find out the best ways to prevent accidents in the home, we spoke with Dr. Rosemary Szollas, a board-certified occupational-medicine physician and the medical director of occupational medicine for St. Luke’s University Health Network in Allentown, Penn. Here she shares her expert advice on five common in-home risks.

Falls Falls are among the most common household accidents, especially for young children and the elderly, and they can lead to serious injuries like concussions, broken bones and even death. “The best way to prevent falls is to use extra caution around the house,” Szollas said. “Install assistance devices like grab bars in showers for older people, or gates around stairs in houses with young children.” Other suggestions include using non-skid rubber mats in kitchens and bathrooms, and keeping floors clear of tripping hazards like toys or shoes.

Cuts Many household accidents happen in the kitchen, with minor cuts being the most common. To avoid cuts, keep knives sharp (it’s easy for a dull knife to slip), only use knives at the cutting board instead of carrying them around the kitchen, and keep them stored securely in a knife block when not it use. “Also maintain a first aid kit for those occasional minor injuries,” Szollas said. “And be sure to check it regularly to make sure everything is up-to-date, and replenish used items like bandages and alcohol.”

Poisoning Children are especially prone to accidental poisoning in the home because they might ingest medications or cleaning supplies found in unlocked cabinets. But adults are also at risk of poisoning through exposure to substances like carbon monoxide. “Even something as simple as dish detergent can be toxic to children,” Szollas said. “To prevent accidental poisoning or exposure in the house, make sure cabinets are fitted with childproof locks, and regularly test the batteries in your home’s carbon monoxide alarms.”

Burns and fire safety Certainly the kitchen is the most obvious spot for accidental burns to occur, but the stove is not the only place in the house where you should watch out. “Make sure the temperature on your water heater is below 120 degrees, or you may end up getting scalded in the shower or sink,” Szollas said. “In the case of fire, it’s important to not only have working and regularly tested smoke alarms in every room, but also fire extinguishers and an escape route that the whole family understands.”

Drowning Drowning causes more than 30 percent of all unintentional injury deaths among children aged 1 to 4, and most of those happen in home swimming pools. “If you have a swimming pool, make sure it has a fence with a gate that locks,” Szollas said. “And no matter whether it’s a swimming pool or a bathtub, it’s vitally important that you never leave a child unsupervised around water.”

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Essay on “Accidents at Home” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Accidents at Home

Let us cite some examples of accidents at home. Cutting, burning, scalding, hurting to cause fracture and getting electric shock are some of them.

Let us consider the preventive aspect first. One must be careful in using cutting instruments in the kitchen. Use good tongs to remove hot vessels from the oven. Hot things must not be placed anywhere, otherwise one would get scalded. Steam  causes a greater injury than hot water so one must be careful where steam is involved. With hot oil care must be taken not to add water to hot oil when it is on an open fire because it will catch fire.

Falling down by false step is another accident. Bathrooms, poorly lit landing places, ill fixed mattresses on the staircase are the worst offenders. Oil drops or soap bits must not be dropped down in the bathroom as these may help slipping down.

Electrical appliances must have insulated or protective handles. When using the electric iron it is better to stand on a rubber sheet or dry wood plank. Medicines must be kept away from the reach of children and kept under lock and key. Leakage of gas should be checked to avoid some explosive accidents.

In all these cases by being a bit careful, many accidents can e avoided.

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The Ultimate Guide to Accident Prevention at Home

We’ve all heard the old adage that if it can happen, it will – but that doesn’t have to be the case! While it’s true that there are always safety hazards around the house , we’ve got some simple ways to be proactive and prevent accidents before they occur. Our ultimate guide is filled with helpful steps you can take to secure your home and prepare for the unexpected.  

What to Do in Case of an Emergency

In the event of an emergency, it’s important to know what to do. Need some pointers? We’ve got you. Here are a couple of tips on how to handle household accidents.  

Don’t panic. Staying calm might seem difficult when you’re faced with an emergency but it’s one of the most important things you can do. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself so you focus on taking care of the situation at hand. 

If necessary, call your local emergency contacts. Sometimes things happen that require the assistance of trained professionals. Look up the emergency contact numbers in your area and program them into your phone – extra points for putting them on speed dial.  

What Should Be in Your At-Home First Aid Kit?

Properly outfitting your first aid kit is a great start to accident preparation and prevention. The American Red Cross recommends keeping a first-aid kit in your home and your car so you’re ready for any situations that come your way.

Essentials for an at-home first aid kit 

No matter what, make sure you’ve got these essentials on hand: 

• A first-aid manual
• Adhesive bandages in various sizes
• Antibiotic ointment 
• Hydrogen peroxide 
• First Aid Solution
• Sterile gauze pads in various sizes 

First aid kit supply checklist. 

You can purchase ready-made first aid kits or make your own. Whether you’re re-upping on supplies or purchasing for the first time, use this comprehensive list (for a family of four) to get everything you’ll need.  

• 2 absorbent compress dressings 
• 25 adhesive bandages in various sizes
• 1 adhesive cloth tape 
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets 
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets 
• 2 packets of aspirin
• 1 emergency blanket
• 1 breathing barrier with a one-way valve 
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of nonlatex gloves 
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets
• 1 gauze roll bandage
• 1 roller bandage 
• 5 sterile gauze pads 
• 5 sterile gauze pads
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/non-glass)
• 2 triangular bandages 
• Emergency First Aid guide
• Flashlight 
• Safety pins
• Calamine lotion
• Sharp scissors
• List of emergency phone numbers

A kid-friendly first aid kit

For families with children , having a first aid kit available for your kids to use is always a good idea. Put it in an easy-to-reach place, and show your kids where it’s located and how to use each item. Stock your kid’s kit with the following:

• List of emergency phone numbers (including the numbers of relatives or family friends who live nearby)
• Adhesive bandages

Preventing Falls

Falls are one of the most common household accidents , but they’re also super easy to prevent. Here are top tips on fall prevention.

Slip-proof your floors. Wipe up any liquid messes as soon as they happen. Just mopped the floor? Make sure everyone in the house knows not to walk on it until it’s completely dry. 

Properly light dark areas. Put lights on your stairs, and install night lights in the bedroom and bathroom. Keep rooms well-lit, especially if there are elders or children living in your home. 

Install handrails on stairs. Install handrails along your stairs for your family to hold onto as they go from floor to floor.

Clear clutter. Remove any hazardous obstacles from walkways. Instead of placing items on the floor, try storing them in totes, bins, cupboards, or on shelves. 

Get rid of frayed rugs. Rugs are a tripping hazard if they don’t lie completely flat on the floor or they have frayed spots.

Preventing Outdoor Accidents

Do you spend a lot of time outdoors? Prevent accidents from happening in and around your yard with these tips. 

Clear sidewalks. Prevent outdoor accidents with a hard-and-fast rule that no bikes, kites, boxes, trash, or any other item can be left on or near the sidewalk. 

Fix broken steps. If you notice that your steps are beginning to crack or break, have them fixed as soon as possible. 

Illuminate the sidewalk. Line your sidewalk with lights to help your family walk safely at night and on overcast days. 

Clean up any safety hazards such as ladders. Put away ladders and tools immediately after using them, and keep hazardous chemicals like paint away from children and walkways. 

Protect children and elders

Child-proofing, baby-proofing, and elderly-proofing your home are simple ways to put a stop to home accidents before they happen. Don’t forget your pets, too!

Stairs. Install stair lights or plug-in night lights at the top and bottom of any staircases in your home. For babies and young children, put safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs and use bannister guards to keep kids from getting stuck in between the balusters. 

Windows. Install window guards to keep your children safe around the windows . Make sure they’re easy for older children and adults to open in the event of a fire. Don’t place furniture near windows. 

Baby-proofing. Install cabinet locks, drawer locks, stove-knob, and outlet covers, and place non-skid pads under rugs. Use corner pads to soften sharp table edges, and keep electrical cords well hidden. Ensure dangerous chemicals, important items, and anything breakable is kept out of reach of tiny hands and mouths.  

Certain safety concerns need to be taken into consideration before introducing a new toy to your child. Here are some important points for toy safety.  

Check for manufacturing recalls. Keep an eye on manufacturing recalls for any toys you purchase for your child. The Consumer Product Safety Commission regularly issues a product recall report , which includes children’s toys. 

Read warning labels and packaging information. Many toys aren’t suitable for children under a certain age, so check warning labels and packaging information to ensure the toy is okay for your child. 

Avoid toys with small parts. Children under age three shouldn’t be allowed to play with toys that have small parts that they might put in their mouths. Avoid things like balloons, bean bag chairs, and toys that easily come apart. 

Discard all packaging and plastic bags, especially around young children. Kids love unpacking new toys, but little kids also like the packaging, which can pose a risk to young children. Make sure you toss any packing and plastic that the toy came in right away. 

Heater Safety

Space heaters are magical pieces of technology, but exercise caution when using them. Use your space heater safely with these easy-to-apply tips. 

Never put space heaters near anything that can ignite. Keep your space heater at least five feet away from anything flammable, such as your bed, the couch, the curtains, a blanket, bag, or bookshelf. 

Turn off space heaters when sleeping or leaving a room. A space heater left unattended can turn into a major safety hazard. Always turn your space heater off before exiting a room or going to sleep. 

Supervise children or pets when a space heater is in use. Tell older kids not to touch the space heater when it’s on, and monitor younger children carefully to prevent accidents. 

Never use a space heater to dry clothing or blankets. As tempting as it is to dry your socks or sweater with the space heater, it can actually do more harm than good. Keep clothes and other flammables away from your space heater. 

Natural Gas Safety

Furnaces, ranges, water heaters, clothes dryers — if any of these appliances use natural gas , it’s a good idea to think about gas leak prevention. First things first, make sure all your appliances have been properly installed. Replace old gas line fittings or old gas shut-off valves if they’re past their prime. Check your gas appliances regularly, and have your gas line monitored. Maintain your HVAC system, and install a carbon monoxide detector if you haven’t already got one.

If you suspect a gas leak, call your gas company right away, and immediately shut off the gas supply, open your doors and windows, and turn off any electrical devices. 

Electrical Appliance Safety

Household accidents involving electricity are quite common. Minimize the risk associated with your electrical appliances by using these safety tips. 

Keep appliances away from water at all times. Electricity and water don’t play well together, so keep your electrical appliances away from water to avoid danger. 

Don’t plug too many appliances into the same outlet at once. Circuit overload is a common occurrence that can cause your outlet to melt and expose wires. Use a powerstrip to prevent your outlets from becoming overwhelmed. 

Call an electrician if your lights flicker or dim. Are your lights acting a little funny? Get it checked out by a professional before it becomes a bigger problem. Flickering or dim lights could be a sign of loose or poor wiring. 

Holiday Decoration Safety

Decorations are a given on many holidays, but it’s important to use them safely. Check out these tips to have a fun and safe holiday. 

Read all instructions before hanging decorations. Read the instructions before hanging any holiday decorations. Certain decorations, like lights or other electrical decorations, have specific requirements that need to be followed to prevent accidents. 

Never overload an outlet or string lights together inappropriately. Use a power strip or spread your lights out to avoid overloading a single outlet with lights and check the manufacturer’s instructions to see how many lights you can safely string together. 

Clear all cords and wires from common areas. Cords laying in walkways or paths inside or outside your home can cause safety hazards. Tuck them out of the way to prevent accidents.

Unplug holiday lights when you leave the house or go to sleep. Don’t leave holiday lights on unattended – they can easily heat up and become safety hazards. Before you go out or go to sleep, make sure you’ve turned off and unplugged your string lights. 

Home safety is a simple matter of keeping an eye on potential hazards and removing them before they put someone’s well-being at risk. Walkthrough your home each month with an eye to potential hazards—check the light bulbs, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, stairs, railings, and other common household hazards. Fix anything that needs fixing right away, and you can enjoy peace of mind that your home is as safe as possible for everyone who lives in it.

You might also like:

A Guide to Home Safety: Identifying and Preventing Hazards

Written By: Derek Prall | Updated March 18, 2024

For most, being at home conjures feelings of safety, warmth, and security . After spending heaps of time, money, and effort buying or renting a home , people are often too exhausted to even begin thinking about how to prevent hazards or accidents.

The truth is, most mishaps at home can be easily prevented, which is why it's so important to take the necessary — and often fairly simple — measures to do so. This is especially the case for families with young children or seniors . The last thing you want is to be confronted with a dangerous situation and find that it is too late to do something about it.

Like many things, home safety begins with awareness. This guide is designed to help homeowners identify and reduce hazard risks in their residences. Specifically, we will go over top home hazards, methods for cultivating a safer home, household toxins, and the dangers that kids and older adults face.

Awareness alone is not enough to keep your family safe, but it will get you started. Once you are familiar with the various home hazards and how to prevent them, you can invest time and elbow grease to bring home safety to life.

Insight from Industry Experts

Before delving into the specifics on how to identify and prevent home hazards, let's see what industry experts have to say:

Shocking Statistics on Home Hazards

Preventable home hazards cause many injuries and deaths. In case you were wondering…

Most Common Home Hazards and How to Prevent Them

There are countless home hazards that exist. Below are the leading causes of accidents and unintentional home injuries, and some tips on how to make your home safer .

Falls are especially detrimental to young children and seniors aged 60 and up . Common household products often associated with severe falls include baby walkers, windows, trampolines, and other playground equipment.

Prevent household members from falling by implementing the following measures:

Fires & Burns

Cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and home injuries , according to the National Fire Protection Association. Meanwhile, heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Electricity, smoking, and candles pose their share of fire hazards, too. Fortunately, you can take simple steps to reduce the risks:

The stats on drowning are grim. For example, the CDC points out that drowning is the number-two cause of death among children ages 1 to 4. The majority of these drownings occur in home swimming pools.

Meanwhile, Stanford Children’s Health explains that most drownings of children under age 1 year occur in bathtubs . Toilets and buckets are other common sites of household drownings. Take the following precautions to significantly reduce the chances of a drowning at home:

Choking & Suffocating

Obstructed airways can be fatal and are divided into three main types: suffocation, choking, and strangulation.

SUFFOCATION

The suffocation death rate for infants has climbed as more parents share a bed with their babies. In fact, researchers say the rate has increased from 12.4 per 1,000 U.S. infants in 1999 to 28.3 per 1,000 in 2015. Take these steps to prevent suffocation:

Choking involves something obstructing the airway internally, like a part of a toy or a piece of food stuck in a person's throat. Prevent choking issues at home by considering these precautions:

STRANGULATION

Window cords are responsible for one child death a month on average, due to strangulation – any type of external compression around the airway. Keep these tips in mind to prevent strangulations in your home :

Poisoning affects people of all ages. Younger children are susceptible because they get into cleaning supplies and other toxic household products. They overdose on vitamins and medicines not taken under proper adult supervision.

Teens and adults are also at risk from appetite suppressants, heroin, amphetamines, antidepressants, motor vehicle exhaust gas, anesthetics, and even caffeine and alcohol. There’s also carbon monoxide poisoning. The good news is, there are easy actions you can take to prevent accidental poisonings at home:

Working From Home Safety Tips

Working from home has become less of a corporate workaround and more of a way of life. Many enjoy this format; it’s comfortable, economical (saves tons of commuting time and costs), and we have a bit more control over our surroundings than we would in a shared office.

For others, however, transitioning to telework comes with challenges. We’ve been living the WFH life since the early 2010s, and from time to time we’re asked for tips, tricks, or takeaways about remote work. How will I stay focused? How will I stay motivated?

And – just as important – how will I stay safe?

Indeed, we should always take steps to ensure a safe working environment, whether we’re buzzing about in a Wall Street skyscraper or nestled comfortably in a home office.

First on our list? Keep your electronics – and all the wires, cords, and outlets you’ll need to connect them – organized safely. We can’t stress enough how important surge protectors are; we need several devices to do our job, so we make sure to use a surge protector. This way, all of that valuable equipment – some of which might belong to your employer – won’t be damaged in a power surge.

Next, be sure to purchase and use comfortable, ergonomic home office equipment like a sturdy chair with lumbar support, a keyboard wrist supporter, and adequate lighting so that you don’t have to strain your eyes. Another great investment is eyeglasses that are specifically made to cut the blue light emitted by your computer screen.

Finally, we highly recommend investing in a home security system. You may be able to write off your home security kit and monitoring (or at least some of it) as a tax deduction, seeing that it’ll be protecting your work computer and other work-related items. At any rate, it’s worth looking into.

Final Thoughts

This guide is by no means comprehensive, but it should help renters and homeowners identify and reduce common home hazards. We recommend addressing the hazards this guide points out and working from there. You can even hire professionals to come over and perform assessments. Security consultants, insurance agents, and eldercare advisors are just a few options. Check with your doctor for suggestions.

Additional Resources

Below are additional resources to help you prevent accidents and reduce the risks of home hazards:

EPA This resource goes over the different types of dangers in the home.

CPSC The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides ample information on the dangers of different products that you may have in your residence.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Here, you will find valuable tips on general emergency preparedness.

Pool Safely If you have a pool at home, take a look at this website which includes pool safety guidelines for families.

Safe Kids Home safety is especially important for your little ones. Learn more about how to keep your residence safe for children.

Poison Control Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or get help online if you think you or someone at home may be poisoned. It is free and confidential.

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Essay on Accidents in The Home and How to Reduce Them

Our home is a place we are familiar with. It is the place where we spend a large part of our time. We eat, sleep, bathe, laugh, cry and do many other things in it. Thus, in the course of doing so many things there, it is no wonder that we do meet with accidents in it.

Many of the accidents in the home have to do with how we use our tools and utensils. Usually, carelessness is the cause of these accidents. A slip with a sharp knife is enough to draw blood. A careless blow with a hammer can result in a swollen thumb. These are examples of minor accidents. We have our share of these mishaps. The normal solution is to open the medicine cabinet and treat minor injuries. Most of these accidents can be avoided if we are more careful. However human beings are prone to make errors when they are bored with everyday routine. So, these accidents will continue to happen. It is a good idea to keep our medicine cabinets well-stocked.

There are some accidents in the home that can have far more serious or even fatal consequences if they are allowed to happen. These are the ones that we must avoid.

Electricity is a very useful thing in our house. It runs so much of our appliances that life would be very different without it, however, electricity can be a killer in the event of an accident. There are many cases where people have been electrocuted in their own homes. In most cases, it is because of the victims’ carelessness or ignorance.

Using old and faulty electrical appliances is simply inviting electrocution. It is important that the appliances are properly wired and grounded. If in doubt always consult an electrician or buy new appliances, or, do not use the appliance.

No single PowerPoint should be overloaded. It is convenient to use a multi-extension socket so that we can plug in our television set, radio set, refrigerator, and iron all in one PowerPoint. It is also very foolish and dangerous to do so. The overloaded wire to the PowerPoint can heat up so much and thus catch fire. The result can be disastrous as many house owners found out to their dismay. The rule is one appliance for one PowerPoint. That would be safe enough.

Always unplug an electrical appliance that is not in use, especially when a home handyman is attempting to repair a faulty one. Unless we know what we are is doing, we should not repair our own electrical appliance. We may regret it if we are still able to.

Also, it is very unsafe to mess around the meter and fuse box. These things are not meant to be serviced by an ordinary house owner. Again, professional help is safer.

Another potentially dangerous place in the home is the kitchen. The gas cylinder should be handled properly and not be thrown about. The gas head and the pipes to the stoves should be periodically checked to ensure that there is no gas leak. Any leakage can have explosive and fatal consequences. Knives and other utensils should be stored away from young children.

Talking of young children, we should make sure our medicine cabinets are securely locked so that inquisitive hands cannot reach the medicines. These little ones may mistake colorful pills for sweets.

After taking all these precautions accidents will still occur. They cannot be totally eliminated, but they can be reduced if the above suggestions are followed. By reducing the possibilities of accidents we make our home a safer and better place to live in.

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Perspective

Grief made me lose my balance. here's how i learned to walk forward again.

Lauren DePino

The writer in Amalfi, Italy, where her grandfather is from. Alan Martín Caudillo hide caption

The writer in Amalfi, Italy, where her grandfather is from.

Last March, grief tripped me.

Days before I would leave for the Amalfi Coast, I tumbled down my patio stairs. My partner heard the crash of glass and found me on the ground in the fervid New Mexico sun, my fingers clenching a mug's handle, the only part intact. My right hand bled. My left knee throbbed.

For certain, I was giddy with anticipation to return to a beloved writing conference in Positano and to spend a few days in nearby Amalfi, where my father's father was from. But lodged within the seams of my excitement also lived anxiety-ridden grief, stubborn and taut.

At the same time the year before, I was saying goodbye to my vivacious aunt Theresa, who was dying of a rare cancer. The ending came quicker than any of us expected. She and I had schemed about meeting in Italy after last year's conference; instead, she passed weeks before. Ever since, my mother and two older sisters and I have felt the persistent sting and lingering dimness of her absence. Theresa was our glue. She hosted holidays, initiated getaways, phoned us to hear about our lives.

When I told my sisters and mother about my fall, which happened close to Theresa's one-year deathiversary, I was surprised to learn all of them had fallen recently, too.

In therapy, I determined it was grief, sly and upending, that had robbed us of our balance. As a way of dodging grief's latest takeover of our lives, we had disassociated ourselves from our minds, and in effect our bodies, enough to harm ourselves.

Shots - Health News

How your brain copes with grief, and why it takes time to heal.

But I sensed something more was at play.

I reached out to Meghan Riordan Jarvis , a trauma-informed grief expert who specializes in how grief affects the body. Riordan Jarvis told me that because the death of a loved one is a completely novel experience, it is "very energetically expensive." She confirmed that grief can impair our balance as well as memory and our ability to do multistep functions.

Riordan Jarvis suggested I contact neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor . I already knew of O'Connor, having previously devoured her book, The Grieving Brain . What had struck me most from it was that, after we lose someone, our brain undergoes a lengthy rewiring process that monopolizes our mental capacity and can be accompanied by brain fog.

Our implicit knowledge that our loved one will "always" be with us conflicts with our episodic memories, which include their death, so we are left contending with conflicting streams of information, which O'Connor calls the "gone-but-also-everlasting theory." Our loved one is always here, at least in our virtual world. But in the physical world, they are gone, gone, gone.

Lauren and her beloved Aunt Theresa in Kauai in 2021. Melissa DePino hide caption

Lauren and her beloved Aunt Theresa in Kauai in 2021.

O'Connor told me she'd been working on a chapter in her next book about what I experienced, but what no one else seems to talk about — accidents that happen during bereavement. She shared that a study of over a million widows found that the bereaved are more likely to die from accidents than those still married. She said other studies are being conducted on suicide and cardiovascular disease during acute grief.

"Our capacity for balance is a necessary component of moving safely through the world," she told me. "And it is reduced in many bereaved, as so much of the world has shifted from the normal granite that has always worked for them."

After discussing my incident, she told me that she had biked into a parked car when she was experiencing what was likely the most difficult social stress of her life.

"I didn't get hit by a car. I ran into the back of a parked car. It is clear my brain's attention was not anywhere in my body ..."

From a fall to a climb

I had forgotten about my fall until I boarded my flight to Italy and bumped my left knee on the seat in front of me. I winced. It was still tender.

The second my partner and I set foot at the central Piazza Duomo in Amalfi, I lifted my gaze to the trappings of a once-medieval town carved into the stony hillside overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea: the lemon groves, viridescent with vegetation; the windows and balconies impossibly stacked over one another; and the laundry, draped and swaying, underwear offering welcome shade to people chattering over electric-orange Aperol spritzes.

I exhaled, remembering something O'Connor had written. If grief is a way of coaxing your brain to create new meaning in this physical world without our loved one, we must learn from all we have now — the present moment.

O'Connor writes, "I think of this present-moment awareness as wholeheartedness, engaging in what you are doing now in all aspects."

I envisioned my whole heart hollowed and hallowed, not cumbersome and defective, as it had been feeling.

Anna and Maurizio, our Airbnb hosts, greeted us. Maurizio, who was in his late 60s, hoisted my 50-pound suitcase onto his back with a groan and started climbing, outpacing us. We struggled to trail him for the duration of 80 stairs, because these weren't stairs like those you might go up and down in your home, every day, without thinking.

I had to muster all my energy to pay attention to every step. I felt a dull throb in my left knee, but carried on. Maurizio swerved left, up past the stand that sells lemon sorbetto in hollowed out lemons. The stairs were wide enough but uneven, and a handrail stretched on part of the way. Still. He made a sharp right to a narrower corridor, then veered up more stairs, walled by tall houses. We moved into single file.

Teal and navy shirts hung upside down from the windows, their arms reaching for us. A banister appeared and disappeared. Gates swung open and closed. All the while, I focused on each step so intently I could hear the echo of my breath.

If I raised my eyes, I saw how elevated we were. My stomach plunged. I had to kneel to regain my footing; one misstep could send me toppling six stories down to beach level.

Finally, we reached what resembled a houseboat with three compact rooms respectively on three floors, accessible only by more precipitous stairs.

During my stay, I began to see these challenging climbs throughout the town's labyrinthic structure as an antidote to my fall, as a clearing after wading my way through grief's brain fog.

The stairway up to Lauren's accommodations in Amalfi. Alan Martín Caudillo hide caption

Forward, painstaking step after step

On my last day in Amalfi, my partner and I took yet another climb. We trekked to the cemetery that sits toward the top of the hill to see my ancestors' graves. In awe I saw my last name in its original spelling (DiPino) on roughly every third grave. Visages from memorial portraits of someone's famiglia, maybe mine, looked back at me, their large, dark eyes, familiar and comforting.

The stairs that took us there were numerous, rocky and unlevel. Back home, I had fallen down my patio stairs, stairs I had memorized, but I made it to the top of this town without as much as catching my foot.

When I lagged back down the hill navigating those craggy stairs with a painstaking finesse, I understood that when I fell on my patio, I was living in a daze. The same close attention that kept me from toppling into the cerulean sea that my grandfather stared at as a boy is the same intentionality I must apply to my own forward motion. To take one literal step at a time means seeing what's burrowing in the cracks, noticing the moss and mildew that's accumulated.

Grief can creep into our lives, months — even years — after our loved one has died. It can besiege our most joyfully anticipated experiences until we no longer see them as joyful. Not until we pay grief the attention it seeks can we live again.

I didn't fathom the fierce concentration and the gaping vulnerability it takes to both climb inconstant stairs and brave the latest face of grief until I visited my grandfather's hometown. I didn't know I had disconnected from myself until my body hit the ground.

I fell. My sisters and my mother fell. Amalfi has fallen, too. Once the seat of a maritime republic, an earthquake, cholera, a plague and pirate raids threatened its longevity. But the town, sunny, whimsical and ever susceptible, survived, too. When I left for Italy, I saw myself as broken. But when I connected again with O'Connor, she reassured me.

"Often when people talk with me about having brain fog when they're bereaved, it's like they think they're damaged. You're not damaged. Your brain is simply busy trying to help you. But you need to help it as well by giving it awareness and self-compassion."

While I found my counter-fall in Italy, I cannot know that I'll never topple again, just as no one can say whether Amalfi or any city will. And when I feel myself spacing out, I will picture what it felt like to ascend toward Amalfi's lapis sky, when it was me versus gravity. It took immense strength to balance on one foot, strength I had, even for the briefest moment, before I had to put the other foot down.

For now, I am paying intense attention — to every move, to every sting, to every rush of love.

Lauren DePino is a freelance writer, essay-writing coach, and songwriter. She is working on a memoir titled Funeral Singer: A Memoir of Holding on and Letting Go . Find more of her work at www.laurendepino.com .

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• Road Accident Essay

Essay on Road Accident

Road accidents are an unfortunate reality of our lives. The daily news reports generally contain at least one incident of a road accident. Depending on the severity of the accident, the number of casualties and the damage done can be concerning. Road accidents cost a lot of lives and property damage. To avoid accidents, everyone should be more careful and vigilant on the streets. As a driver, one must be extra cautious because one mistake from the driver can cost the lives of innocent others. 

  The Road Accident That I Experienced

I remember the first road accident I witnessed. It had changed my perspective on life. I still remember the date and the day very intricately. It was the 20th of September 2016. I was returning home from tuition. My mother had come to pick me up. It was around 6 o'clock in the evening. When we reached the bus stand, we saw a huge crowd of people at a few feet of distance from the bus stop. There were men in the crowd who were screaming in the regional language. 

At first, we couldn't understand what was going on. After a while of careful overhearing of the conversation of everyone near us, we could understand that there was an accident. So to get to the bottom of it we asked a shopkeeper what had  happened. He told us that indeed an accident took place a while ago. He then went on to give us a detailed event of what happened. According to him, a pedestrian was crossing the road. A passenger's bus had hit him. The man was left bleeding on the street. The people in the area then cornered the bus and assaulted the bus driver. The police were called to the scene. As for the pedestrian, when the police came over, they declared the man dead. However, as a formality, they sent him to the hospital but according to the shopkeeper, there is not much hope for a miracle. 

This incident made me realize how fragile life is. It could very well have been me or my loved one instead of that man.  The man was not at fault as he was following the rules, but because of the ignorance of another careless man, he had to lose his life. This incident has left a scar on my mind which still bothers me at times. 

Road accidents are a fairly tragic event that has dangerously increased in numbers nowadays. Today, there are more automobiles on the streets than ever. Some say that this increase in the number of automobiles is the reason the number of road accidents is increasing too. Some others say that people nowadays have become more careless, this leads to a higher number of accidents due to carelessness. Another problem that is very prevalent in India is the lack of civic sense in people. People in the cities of India do not strictly adhere to the traffic rules; some people also lack the basic road sense. On top of that, certain parts of the city have narrow roads. All these add up to increase road accidents.

Description of Road Accident:

Road accidents are scary for our lives. In recent times it has increased more. Every morning when you open a newspaper every second or third page will have news related to road accidents. The reason for increasing road accidents is due to the fact that people are buying more automobiles and have also become careless while driving vehicles.

Many a time we have seen that people are just avoiding following traffic rules. Especially in metropolitan cities, people are more careless while driving vehicles which ultimately lead to road accidents.

The foremost causes of road accidents in such metropolitan areas can be narrow roads and roads with potholes.

Thus a road accident damages the lives of life and material. People should be very careful while driving or walking on the road.

It is also seen that walking on the road is also equally dangerous because of heavy traffic it can also be harmful to the people walking on the road. Hence, such people should walk on the side of the road or walk on footpaths.

Road Accident Incident:

Once I was coming back from my office at that time when I witnessed a road accident. I was with my co-worker and it was around 6 o’clock in the evening. In the middle of the road, we saw a crowd surrounding something. We weren’t sure what was happening as the first thought that came to our mind was that it was probably a quarrel between two groups of people but then after reaching the spot, we found that an accident had taken place. 

After talking with the people present there, we came to know that a man who was crossing the road met with an accident while crossing the road. A truck passing by hit him leaving him with serious injuries. The man was lying on the ground bleeding and people were calling for an ambulance, plus they also informed the police about the incident. 

Subsequently, the police arrived and caught the driver of the truck as people had already taken a hold of the driver. During the investigation with the driver, the cops came to know that the driver was drunk and was driving the vehicle. Later on, cops detained him and took the injured person to the nearest hospital, and took a statement from the injured person. The driver was released later based on the statement given by the person. That incident made me realize how precious our lives are and we must be very careful when we are walking on the road, on foot, or driving a car.

  Prevention from Road Accidents:

There are some most important points that every person should keep in mind while driving or walking or crossing the road. These points are as follows:

Drive within the prescribed speed limit.

Don’t drink or smoke while driving.

Follow all the traffic rules as they are for our safety.

Never use mobile phones while driving a vehicle.

Always drive in the proper lane.

While riding a bike always wear a helmet.

FAQs on Road Accident Essay

1.  What are the causes of Road Accidents?

The main cause of road accidents is human beings’ attitude towards not following the traffic rule. Apart from this, there are some major causes of Road Accidents which are as follows:

  Over Speeding

  Drink and drive

  To avoid wearing a helmet while driving a bike.

  Talking on mobile phones.

 To avoid waiting on traffic signals and so are some of the major causes of a road accident.

2.  How to prevent Road Accidents?

Prevention of Road Accidents can only be possible if people change their attitudes towards traffic rules and show some maturity while driving vehicles. People should be very cautious while passing from the crowded area and at such places they should reduce their speed limit. On the turning of the road, they should stop and before crossing the road they should look at the right and left side of the road and then should cross the road.  Last but not least every vehicle should maintain proper distance between two vehicles to avoid a collision.

3.  How to reduce road death and injuries?

To reduce road death and injuries the corporation of the respective cities should see that city roads are connecting areas properly and constructed compactly. The sides of the road should be constructed broad and vendors or any cattle should be avoided who block the roads because sometimes due to unwanted cattle’s road death and fatal injuries might occur.

4.  How should an injured person be treated?

If someone is injured at that time first check the severity of the casualty accordingly and give the treatment. If the person is having normal injuries, first treat him/her with first aid and in the matter of serious injuries call an emergency ambulance.

5.  Why is it important to give First Aid immediately after the accident?

To promote instant relief and to avoid any further damage as well as for speedy recovery it is recommended to give first aid treatment immediately after the accident. This can help to reduce the fatal level of the injuries before getting emergency treatment.  As it is not always possible that emergency care reaches the victim within an hour. In that case, the people who are available next to the victim can give him/her first aid treatment to save his/her life.

Essay on an Accident I saw| Description of A Car Accident Essay

The experience you had in your life of watching an accident is a personal story that describes the incident chronologically and the lessons you take from it.

These are two examples: an essay on an accident I saw; sharing a personal story; and learning from a road accident you encountered in life.

Table of Contents

Pro tips: While you write an essay on any personal story, always present the fact that the story’s influence on your life.

Essay on an Accident I saw points:

• Introduction
• Eyewitness experience
• My immediate reaction
• Reflecting on the Consequences
• The impact on me

Short Essay on an Accident I Saw

On a regular day, I was returning from school. It was a hot summer day, and the road was clean and traffic-free. Suddenly, listen to a loud sound: a bike hits an SUV car, and the biker falls onto the road.

Immediately, I ran to the biker. He was without a helmet and heavily injured in the head. Meanwhile, the driver of the car came out and started scolding the biker. I stopped the driver and said, This is the time to help, not fight. I requested that he call an ambulance a few minutes later to the hospital.

This accident experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. This experience taught me the importance of helmets and road safety.

Long Essay on an Accident I Saw

The time was early morning on winter’s foggy day. The road was fully covered by fog, and there was not any traffic on the road.

I woke up early that day for my study. I was studying at my table when I suddenly heard the loud sound of someone shouting. I opened my window and saw that somebody had crashed his car into the wall beside the road.

Immediately I ran to that car, and two of my neighbours reached the car, and we together brought the driver outside of the car. He was bleeding from his head and had several other injuries to his body.

The driver had not worn a seatbelt, and that led to several injuries. I called an ambulance within 5 minutes, and it reached and took him to the hospital. In the evening, the police took his car out.

I remember this terrible experience from that accident. It happened so fast that I just can’t believe it in my eyes. This accident reminds me about road safety and the importance of consciousness when driving.

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Road Accident Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on road accident.

Essay on Road Accident: Road accidents have become very common nowadays. As more and people are buying automobiles, the incidences of road accidents are just increasing day by day. Furthermore, people have also become more careless now. Not many people follow the traffic rules. Especially in big cities, there are various modes of transports. Moreover, the roads are becoming narrower and the cities have become more populated.

Thus, road accidents are bound to happen. You pick up a newspaper and you will find at least one or two news about road accidents daily. They cause loss of life as well as material. People need to be more careful when on the road, no matter which mode of transport you are from. Even the ones on foot are not safe because of the rise in these incidences. Every day people witness accidents in the news, from relatives and even with their own eyes.

Road Accident Incident

Once I was on my way back home from festive shopping when I witnessed a road accident. I was with my sister and it was around 6 o’ clock in the evening. In the middle of the road, we saw a crowd surrounding something. We weren’t quite sure what was happening as the first thought that came to our mind was that it was probably a quarrel between two men. However, when we reached the spot, we found out an accident had taken place.

Subsequently, the police arrived as the people had caught the driver and were beating him up. After the police came, they caught hold of the driver and asked about the incident. Later, we came to know that the driver was drunk. The police detained him and went to the hospital for a statement. Fortunately, the driver was declared out of danger. The doctors dressed his wounds and informed that he was still in shock.

That incident made me realize how precious our lives are. In addition, as to how we take it for granted. We must all be very careful when on road, on foot or by a car that does not matter. We can adopt measures that will prevent road accidents.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Road Accident Prevention

We need to prevent road accidents to decrease the death rate. Every year thousands of people lose their lives to road accidents. Children must be taught from an early age about traffic rules. They must be taught the value of life and how they can safeguard it.

Moreover, the government must pass more stringent laws for people who disobey traffic rules. They must fine people heavily or take strict action when found guilty of breaking these laws irrespective of gender.

Similarly, parents must set an example for the younger ones by not using phones while driving. Also, they must always wear their helmets and seatbelts to avoid the chances of an accident.

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Essay on Road Accident 500+ Words

Road accidents are a concerning and unfortunate reality in our world today. Each year, countless lives are lost, and many more are affected by the devastating consequences of road accidents. In this essay, we will delve into the multifaceted issue of road accidents, examining their causes, consequences, and measures to promote road safety.

The Alarming Statistics

To comprehend the gravity of the issue, let’s start with the numbers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic accidents claim over 1.35 million lives globally each year. These statistics reveal the urgent need for road safety awareness.

Causes of Road Accidents

Road accidents have a variety of causes. Distracted driving, speeding, reckless behavior, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are among the top contributors. Understanding these causes is crucial to addressing the problem.

The Role of Technology

While technology has brought many advancements, it has also introduced distractions like texting and smartphone use while driving. Technological solutions, such as hands-free devices and driver-assistance systems, can help mitigate these risks.

Consequences of Road Accidents

The consequences of road accidents are far-reaching. They include loss of life, injuries, emotional trauma, and financial burdens on individuals and families. These effects highlight the urgent need for prevention.

Road Safety Measures

To combat road accidents, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. Governments and communities must invest in improved infrastructure, safer road design, and stricter traffic regulations. Public awareness campaigns can educate individuals about the risks and consequences of reckless driving.

Education and Awareness

Education plays a crucial role in preventing road accidents. Schools, families, and communities can teach safe road practices and the importance of responsible driving from a young age.

The Role of Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies play a pivotal role in ensuring road safety. Strict enforcement of traffic laws, including speed limits and sobriety checks, can deter reckless behavior and save lives.

Promoting Responsible Driving

Responsible driving is the cornerstone of road safety. Drivers must prioritize attentiveness, avoid distractions, and respect traffic rules. Defensive driving courses can help instill safe driving habits.

Preventive Measures for Vulnerable Road Users

Pedestrians and cyclists are also vulnerable on the road. Safe crossing zones, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and awareness campaigns are vital to protecting these road users.

The Global Effort

Road accidents are a global issue, and international collaboration is essential. Organizations like the United Nations are working toward global road safety goals, aiming to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries worldwide.

Conclusion of Essay on Road Accident

In conclusion, road accidents pose a significant threat to public safety and well-being. The causes are varied, but the consequences are often tragic. However, by implementing effective road safety measures, raising awareness, and promoting responsible driving, we can reduce the frequency and severity of road accidents.

It is imperative that individuals, communities, governments, and organizations collaborate to make our roads safer. By doing so, we can strive to lower the alarming statistics, prevent needless loss of life, and create a world where road accidents are a rare and avoidable occurrence.

Remember, road safety begins with each of us. Whether you’re a driver, pedestrian, or cyclist, your choices and actions on the road can make a difference. Let’s prioritize road safety, protect lives, and work towards a future where road accidents are a thing of the past.

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Essay Car Accident

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

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Guest Essay

Ethan Crumbley’s Parents Were Just Part of a Much Bigger Problem

By Elizabeth Spiers

Ms. Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

James and Jennifer Crumbley never anticipated that their then-15-year-old son, Ethan, would use the 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun Mr. Crumbley had bought — ostensibly as an early Christmas present — to kill four students at a Michigan high school. At least that’s the argument their lawyers made in court before Ms. Crumbley, last month, and Mr. Crumbley, almost two weeks ago, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials. Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys did not do enough to secure the gun and ignored warning signs that Ethan was planning to use it.

After every mass shooting by a teenager at a school, there is an instinct to look to the shooter’s parents to understand what went wrong. In the case of the Crumbleys, this seems obvious: Ethan left disturbing journal entries fantasizing about shooting up the school, and stating that he had asked his parents for help with his mental health issues but didn’t get it. His father said the family had a gun safe but the safe’s combination was the default factory setting, 0-0-0.

One factor that’s gotten less attention, however, is how the Crumbleys’ attitudes and actions reflect an increasingly insidious gun culture that treats guns as instruments of defiance and rebellion rather than as a means of last resort.

I’ve been thinking about this case a lot because I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s in a rural part of the Deep South where almost everyone I knew had guns in the house, unsecured, and mental illness was stigmatized and often went untreated. Church was considered a superior venue for counseling, and only “crazy” people sought professional help. If the evidence for criminal negligence is a failure to lock up a gun and ignoring signs of mental illness, many of the adults I grew up around would have been (and still would be) vulnerable to the same charges as the Crumbleys.

It’s convenient and comforting for many people to believe that if it had been their child, they’d have prevented this tragedy. But prison visiting rooms are full of good, diligent parents who never thought their kid would be capable of landing there.

My parents didn’t own a gun safe, but kept guns hidden away from us, which, like many gun owners at the time, they thought of as “secured.” The men in my family were all hunters and the guns they kept were hunting rifles, not AR-15s. (You can’t feed a family with deer meat that’s been blown to bits.) I knew my parents kept a handgun, too, but it was never shown to us, or treated as a shiny new toy.

Gun culture was different then. It would have never occurred to my parents to acquire an entire arsenal of guns and display them prominently around the house, as some people now do, or ludicrously suggest that Jesus Christ would have carried one . They did not, as more than a few Republican politicians have done, send out Christmas photos of their children posing with weapons designed explicitly to kill people at an age when those children likely still believed Santa existed. Open carry was legal, but if you were to walk into the local barbecue joint with a semiautomatic rifle on your back emblazoned with fake military insignia, people would think you were creepy and potentially dangerous, not an exemplar of masculinity and patriotism.

All of these things happen now with regularity, and they’re considered normal by gun owners who believe that any kind of control infringes on their Second Amendment rights. Children are introduced at a young age to guns like the Sig Sauer that Ethan Crumbley used. They’re taught to view guns as emblematic of freedom and the right to self-defense — two concepts that have been expanded to include whatever might justify unlimited accumulation of weapons.

“Freedom” is short for not being told what to do, even though the law very much dictates how and when guns should be used. “Self-defense” is often talked about as a justifiable precaution in the event of home invasion, though home invasions are as rare as four-leaf clovers and do not require an arsenal unless the invader is a small army. (It’s also worth noting that basic home security systems are far less expensive than many popular guns, which suggests that at the very least, some gun owners may be intentionally opting for the most violent potential scenario.) Most important, too many children are taught that guns confer power and can and should be used to intimidate other people. (Relatedly, any time I write about gun control, at least one gun owner emails to say he’d love to shoot me, which is not exactly evidence of responsible gun ownership.)

Mass shooters often begin with a grievance — toward certain populations, individuals they feel wronged by, society at large — and escalate their behavior from fantasizing about violence to planning actual attacks. A study from 2019 suggests that feeling inadequate may make gun owners more inclined toward violence. In the study, gun owners were given a task to perform and then told that they failed it. Later they were asked a number of questions, including whether they would be willing to kill someone who broke into their home, even if the intruder was leaving. “We found that the experience of failure increased participants’ view of guns as a means of empowerment,” wrote one researcher , “and enhanced their readiness to shoot and kill a home intruder.”

The study hypothesized that these gun owners “may be seeking a compensatory means to interact more effectively with their environment.”

Good parents model healthy interactions all the time. If their kids are struggling with a sense of inferiority or are having trouble dealing with failure, we teach them self-confidence and resilience. Parents who treat guns as a mechanism for feeling more significant and powerful are modeling an extremely dangerous way to interact with their environment.

What’s particularly hypocritical here is that the most strident defenders of this culture skew conservative and talk a lot about what isn’t appropriate for children and teenagers. What they think is inappropriate often includes educating kids about sex, about the fact that some people are gay or transsexual and about racism. It’s a perverse state of affairs: Exposing children to simple facts is dangerous, but exposing them to machines designed to kill is not. You can’t get your driver’s license until you’re a teenager, or buy cigarettes and alcohol until you’re 21, but much earlier than that, kids can, with adult supervision, legally learn how to end someone’s life.

Parents can’t ensure that their child won’t ever feel inferior or disempowered, or even in some cases become delusional or filled with rage. Teenagers do things that their parents would never anticipate every day, even if they’re close and communicative. Some develop serious drug habits or become radicalized into extremism or take their own lives.

One thing parents can ensure is that their children cannot get access to a gun in their house. The only foolproof way to do that is to ensure that there’s no gun in the house to begin with. Barring that, parents can make sure they are not reinforcing a toxic gun culture that says that displaying and threatening to use lethal machines is a reasonable way to deal with anger or adversity. That message makes the idea of killing someone seem almost ordinary.

That doesn’t prevent school shooters; it primes them.

Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

Source photographs by CSA-Printstock and John Storey, via Getty Images.

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'Gen V' Star, Chance Perdomo, dies at 27 in motorcycle accident

Chance perdomo has passed away at the age of 27 in a tragic accident..

Chance Perdomo, known for his roles in "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and "Gen V," has passed away at the age of 27.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the untimely passing of Chance Perdomo due to a motorcycle accident," his representative stated. "On behalf of the family and his representatives, we ask for privacy as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother."

The statement also noted, "Authorities have advised that no other individuals were involved in the accident."

Further details about the accident are not currently available.

Most recently, Perdomo portrayed Andre Anderson in the first season of "Gen V," the college-focused spin-off of Amazon Prime's popular series "The Boys." In this universe, where superheroes are celebrities with bad behavior, Perdomo's character was a student at Godolkin University, a school founded by the omnipresent Vought International corporation. His character possessed the power to manipulate metal.

Additionally, Perdomo played a significant role in the Netflix series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."

He starred alongside Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Shelley Conn, and Asa Germann in "Gen V," which premiered last September. Deadline reported that production for the second season of "Gen V" will be postponed following Perdomo's tragic passing.

The producers of "Gen V" expressed their grief in a statement to People Magazine, saying, "We can’t quite wrap our heads around this. Chance was always charming, smiling, and an incredibly talented performer. He was a kind and lovely person. We are deeply sorry for Chance’s family and are grieving the loss of our friend and colleague."

Statements from Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television were also shared with People, expressing their condolences and support for Perdomo's family and loved ones.

Perdomo's previous notable role was as Ambrose Spellman in the Netflix supernatural horror series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" from 2018 to 2020. He also portrayed Landon in the last three films of the "After" series.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Southampton, England, Perdomo initially planned to study law but chose to pursue acting instead. He made his acting debut in a 2017 episode of the popular British children's drama series "Hetty Feather."

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See how the Key Bridge collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and tofu

The port of baltimore is the top port in the nation for automobile shipments.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday cut off access to much of the city’s port — causing a suspension of vessel traffic that will disrupt a key trade lane and threaten to further tangle already-stressed supply chains.

The Port of Baltimore was the 17th largest in the nation by total tons in 2021 and an important artery for the movement of autos, construction machinery and coal. It handled 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth nearly $81 billion in 2023, according to Maryland data, and creates more than 15,000 jobs.

Top 10 imports and exports to the Port

of Baltimore in 2023

2023 total: $59B

electronics

commodities

2023 total: $22B

Iron, steel

Seeds, grains,

fruits, plants

Air and space

craft, parts

Coal, oil and

natural gas

Note: not seasonally adjusted. Vehicles excluding railways

and tramways. Nickel, aluminium, paper and wood include

derivatives of those commodities

Source: Census Bureau

Top ten imports and exports to the Port of Baltimore in 2023

Electronic machinery

and electronics

farmwork and

construction

Iron and steel

spacecraft, parts

Note: not seasonally adjusted. Vehicles excluding railways and tramways. Nickel, aluminium,

paper and wood include derivatives of those commodities

spacecraft,

bedding, lights

Note: not seasonally adjusted. Vehicles excluding railways and tramways. Nickel, aluminium, paper and wood include

On Tuesday, the Port of Baltimore said that vessel traffic would be suspended in and out of the port until further notice, but trucks would still be processed in its terminals.

“Baltimore’s not one of the biggest ports in the United States, but it’s a good moderate-sized port,” said Campbell University maritime historian Sal Mercogliano. It has five public and 12 private terminals to handle port traffic.

North Locust

Point Marine

Ports and terminals

Baltimore Port

Truck Plaza

Seagirt Marine

Dundalk Marine

Shipping channels

CSX Coal Pier

Francis Scott

Hawkins Point

Marine Terminal

“It does cars, it does bulk carriers, it does containers, it does passengers.” said Mercogliano. “So this is going to be a big impact.”

Baltimore’s the top port in the nation for automobile shipments, having imported and exported more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group.

About three-quarters of the autos that travel through the port are imports, dominated by big-name brands, including Mazda and Mercedes-Benz. Most of the top companies have enough inventory sitting on U.S. dealer lots that any immediate impact on supply is unlikely, said Ambrose Conroy, chief executive of the consulting firm Seraph.

“It’s too early to say what impact this incident will have on the auto business, but there will certainly be a disruption,” said John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

The port ranked second in the country for exporting coal last year, according to the state of Maryland. But it’s not a huge global supplier of thermal coal, and the disruption can likely be made up by replacements from Australia or Indonesia if needed, said Alexis Ellender, lead analyst at global trade intelligence company Kpler.

Baltimore is also a niche port for the soybean trade, focusing mostly on high-value soy used in tofu, miso, tempeh and organic products, according to Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition. Most of those exports are destined for Asia, but Steenhoek doesn’t expect a big spike in tofu prices because several other U.S. ports also ship this sort of soy, including Norfolk, Va., Savannah, Ga. and Charleston, S.C.

All East Coast ports have become more important in recent years as the United States attempts to boost its trade with friendly nations and reduce geopolitical risks related to trade with China, which generally happens via West Coast ports, said Tinglong Dai, a Johns Hopkins Carey Business School professor and expert on global supply chains.

Baltimore port’s suspension is “one more disruption in an already-stressed system” for the global supply chain, said Abe Eshkenazi, chief executive of the Association for Supply Chain Management. Cargo will now have to be rerouted to other ports, which means figuring out where there is enough capacity to move things.

East Coast ports and shipping density

Ship traffic

Philadelphia

of Baltimore

5th-largest port

on the East Coast

for foreign trade

Newport News

Morehead City

East Coast ports

and shipping density

PENNSYLVANIA

The Port of Baltimore

5th-largest port on the

East Coast for foreign trade

Coal shipments will need to be rerouted to other ports, Kpler’s Ellender said. And Ryan Petersen, chief executive of the logistics company Flexport, posted on X that the company currently has 800 containers on a slew of ships heading for the port that will need to be rerouted, likely to Philadelphia or Norfolk.

The biggest problem Steenhoek sees from Baltimore’s shuttering is the knock-on effect to other ports. Many ships stuck in the port were destined to make stops at other U.S. ports to load and unload goods before heading overseas, a complicated logistical dance now scrambled by the bridge collapse.

“It just shows how you throw a wrench in the supply chain and the impact is not just confined to that one port,” Steenhoek said.

Tim Meko, Justine McDaniel and David J. Lynch contributed to this report. Editing by Kate Rabinowitz and Karly Domb Sadof.

Baltimore bridge collapse

How it happened: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship . The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers , officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . A mayday call from the ship prompted first responders to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge, saving lives.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

Rebuilding: The bridge, built in the 1970s , will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild , experts said.

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