New Zealand dad Stacy Horton forced to choose between saving wife and son

[min0 lee]

New Zealand dad Stacy Horton forced to choose between saving wife, son after car plunges in river

BY Neil Nagraj
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, November 30th 2009, 12:40 PM

Close Up
"I tried to get down and get him, but I couldn't, it was just too deep. And Vanessa was going under," Stacy Horton said.

3News
Above, Stacy's son, 13-year-old Silva. "I just had to accept the fact that he had gone," Mr. Horton said.






A father was forced into a hellishly cruel Catch-22 when a car carrying his wife and son hurtled into a river.
Just minutes after his wife's car plunged down the bank of New Zealand's Whanganui River, Stacy Horton arrived at the accident scene - and had to decide in seconds whether to save his wife or his child, New Zealand's Dominion Post reports.
"I tried to get down and get him [son Silva], but I couldn't, it was just too deep. And Vanessa was going under," Horton told the newspaper. "I made a call to pull my wife to safety."
When he arrived at the scene, Horton heard his wife's screams for help piercing the darkness. Clambering down the bank, he was met by Robert Palmer, 14, a friend of his son's and a fellow passenger in the car, climbing up the river bank with the Hortons' family dog, which also had escaped the wreckage.
At the river's edge, Horton saw the family's station wagon submerged about 3 feet beneath the water's surface. But his attempts to dive down and retrieve his son failed.
"I looked back, and I could see the taillights, but it was too far, and I couldn't get him," Horton told the newspaper.
"I just had to accept the fact that he had gone. . . . Instead of going down and risking my life as well as my wife and son's, I chose to take V back and sat on the shore praying. It was all I could do."
First responders to the scene also dove in to try to rescue the 13-year-old, but to no avail.
"It was a long shot, but it was worth the risk to try and save him," Whanganui's senior station officer, Gary Wilson, told The Dominion Post.
Horton told the newspaper his wife, his son and his son's friend had taken off in pursuit of teenage vandals who'd destroyed their mailbox. When his wife pulled the car over to the side of the road to speak with the hooligans, the car "kept going," Horton said.
"It's just a freak accident. We can't blame anyone," he told the newspaper. "I've forgiven the kids who were wrecking our letter box."

Read more: New Zealand dad Stacy Horton forced to choose between saving wife, son after car plunges in river
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[tucker01]

Obviously save the son.

Get a younger, hotter wife.

Your story will be a gold mine with the chicks.

 

[T_man]

Obviously save the son.

Get a younger, hotter wife.

Your story will be a gold mine with the chicks.

How can you guys joke about stuff like this

 

[I Are Baboon]

Obviously save the son.

Especially if there is a huge life insurance policy on the wife.

 

[min0 lee]

How can you guys joke about stuff like this

At first I would have said I would save my son before I would save my spouse....but having a son like you would make me think twice.

 

[Triple Threat]

That's one decision I hope I never have to make.

 

[Little Wing]

"At the river's edge, Horton saw the family's station wagon submerged about 3 feet beneath the water's surface. But his attempts to dive down and retrieve his son failed."

3 feet? 3 fucking feet? are you kidding me? either this is a misprint or that man never learned to swim.

 

[Little Wing]

"taken off in pursuit of teenage vandals who'd destroyed their mailbox. When his wife pulled the car over to the side of the road to speak with the hooligans, the car "kept going," Horton said."

NOT smarter than a 5th grader.

in the picture of the kid, he looks like he knows he's fucked. nice parenting.

 

[Fetusaurus Rex]

"At the river's edge, Horton saw the family's station wagon submerged about 3 feet beneath the water's surface. But his attempts to dive down and retrieve his son failed."

3 feet? 3 fucking feet? are you kidding me? either this is a misprint or that man never learned to swim.

Yea I didnt read the whole article I was too dumbfounded, all I read was "It was too deep" to get his son and he could still see the cars taillights

when is it ever too deep to go after your son?

I dont have kids but I have a nephew, and it couldnt be too deep to at least TRY to fucking go after him!

 

[Little Wing]

the fucking stupid bitch put her son in a car n went on a chase. let her die. save your son. she was THAT pissed over a mailbox. look at the kids eyes... his mother spent years putting that look there i bet. he died for a mailbox. she should be jailed.

 

[clemson357]

The vandals should be put to death.

 

[Little Wing]

they're teens that killed a mailbox they should be made to replace it given 100 hrs community service each. the mother recklessly endangered her child and it led to his death. big difference.

 

[Fetusaurus Rex]

I love how they try to make this a real insightful story and moral dilemma but the story sucks and the parents are both douche bags

 

[jmorrison]

"I just had to accept the fact that he had gone. . . . Instead of going down and risking my life as well as my wife and son's, I chose to take V back and sat on the shore praying. It was all I could do."



First responders to the scene also dove in to try to rescue the 13-year-old, but to no avail.
"It was a long shot, but it was worth the risk to try and save him," Whanganui's senior station officer, Gary Wilson, told The Dominion Post.



So this douche sat on the bank praying with his wife while people were still trying to save his son?

Maybe there is something I am missing here, but I know that 3 feet of water wouldnt be enough to stop be from TRYING to save my kids. Hell, 3,000 wouldnt be enough to stop me from TRYING.

I dunno, there has to be some story missing.

 

[Fetusaurus Rex]

 

[lnvanry]

no question I'd try to save the kid first, then the wife...most mothers would prefer it that way IMHO.

and yea, 3ft doesn't sound right...if it really was 3 ft, the guy is a jerk for not trying

 

[Mudge]

Who knows the situation, but I dont know how 3 feet sounds anything but pathetic. Since it was so deep, I knew I couldn't do it so I didn't even try, so I sat down and rested with my wife. Notice how others who escaped, also didn't try to save the kid? Was this kid a shitbag or what?

 

[maniclion]

The original article says "He clambered down and saw his wife in the water. He tried to dive down to their Mazda MPV stationwagon, which was nose down, more than a metre beneath the surface." This is just ridiculous all around.... Where's the miracle story about how the fathers adrenaline kicked in and suddenly his balls dropped out of his vagina and he waded out into the 3 foot water and fucking saved his boy?

 

[min0 lee]

The dog even made it to safety.

Prayer: How to do nothing and still think you're helping.

 

[tucker01]

The miller light obviously... you can always drink away your thoughts. The rest just cause grief at some point.

 

[Fetusaurus Rex]

The miller light obviously... you can always drink away your thoughts. The rest just cause grief at some point.

lol there is this commercial now "If me and your dog were hanging from a cliff and you could only save one of us..."

and then they get to "Me and your Miller Light"

 

[GFR]

What a lucky man, he had a golden opportunity to get rid of his wife no questions asked and he blew it.

 

[KelJu]

The vandals should be put to death.

For vandalizing a mailbox? You are more retarded than the parents in the story.