For Tyji Chester
Funeral services will be held today for seven-year-old Tyji Chester, who drowned in the Rosemount Pool in West Baltimore on June 6th. Sheila Nixon, Tyji’s grandmother, left this comment:
I am just outraged and devastated over the lost of my grandson Tyji Chester. His death was senseless and should never have happened. There is no excuse for the aide to allow him to get away from her much less to be able to leave the school and lose his life. If we can’t trust the safety of our children to those that are suppose[d] to be responsible for their safety………then who can we trust. It is all just plain negligence! There is no getting around it!
There is no excuse, indeed. Our children can learn so much, are capable of so much, and deserve the best aides and supports to help them.
Our thoughts are with Tyji’s family today and tomorrow, and ever after.
7 opinions for For Tyji Chester
Anne
Jun 14, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Another precious child, Tyji, lost. Not because of a lack of specialized, clinical training, but because nobody was paying attention. I am so sorry, Sheila. There is no excuse for this.
Autism Vox » Star Swimmer Hayley Williams drowned in school pool
Aug 8, 2006 at 1:44 pm
[…] At the start of the summer I wrote about 6-year-old Tyji Chester who was autistic and who drowned on June 6th in a swimming pool that was next to his school. I have just heard about the death of 13-year-old Hayley Williams who was autistic and epileptic, and who died in December during a lesson at Ashgrove Special School in Penarth in Wales. Hayley dived into a hydrotherapy pool and failed to resurface; her death has been ruled accidental. While six adults were supervising six children in the hydrotherapy pool, Hayley’s personal supervisor “afraid of water and was watching from the poolside but another member of staff was ‘within arms reach’ when she suffered the fatal seizure,” according to today’s BBC News Her mother Gaynor Williams told the hearing: “I don’t want to blame anyone but I think the person who was meant to be on a one-to-one with her should have been at her side at all times. […]
Autism Vox » Summer Safety for Autistic Children
Aug 9, 2006 at 7:00 am
[…] Tyji Chester, who drowned in a pool next to his school on June 6th […]
Autism Vox » In memoriam Jabriel Eason
Aug 16, 2006 at 8:52 pm
[…] Two other autistic children, 7-year-old Tyji Chester and 3-year-old Jaden Fournier also drowned in swimming pools earlier this summer. […]
tishia chester
Apr 16, 2008 at 11:05 pm
tyji was my brother and there is no way he should have not had an aidpresent with him and somebone has to take responsibility for this tragedy my family and i have to go through. a day does not go by that i dont think about my little brother i just wish we could have spent more time together.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 17, 2008 at 1:16 am
@Tishia,
thank you so much for writing here—thinking very much of Tyji here too. Please let your family know that he is remembered.
You Can Never Be Too Safe When There’s Water
May 13, 2008 at 3:52 pm
[…] hardly the first time I’ve read about an autistic child drowning. Remember Tyji Chester—and Jabriel Eason—-and Hayley Williams—-and Jaen Fournier—many others. With […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: