Homeless Iraq vet accidentally runs over his son, may lose kids

[Mari333]

this story is so sad on so many levels

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - One day after an accident at PJ Hoffmaster State Park left a 5-year-old seriously injured, the Michigan Department of Human Services is trying to take the boy and his sister away from their parents.

Mason Nichols was injured when the family vehicle rolled backwards into their tent early Wednesday morning. His father, Daniel Nichols, told other campers he got into his car to warm up, then fell asleep.

The SUV somehow slipped into gear and rolled over the tent, police said.

Nichols is an unemployed veteran who served in Iraq. He, his wife and two young children are homeless and had been staying at the park for about a week. His wife recently lost her job as a bartender.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/Injured_son_girl_taken_from_campers

[dkf]

1. How in the world does this guy land up in a park?

I thought we had safety nets for this kind of thing.

[Demobrat]

2. Safety net? Like what?

If he wasn't injured he can't collect disability, and I'm not aware of any other help out there for vets. The only ones with a safety net in this country are the banks.

[dkf]

3. How does the welfare system work??

Or the homeless shelters?

[JANdad]

4. Please tell me you are trying to be funny...

B/C if not, what have you been reading and posting about here at DU?

[lindisfarne]

5. Exactly "what kind of thing" do you mean, and "what kind of safety net" do you mean? Are you just

discovering there are homeless families?

See for example
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3961075

[Mari333]

8. in Michigan the safety net is called Tough Shit

there are whole families living in their cars in rural areas around here.

[noamnety]

11. The whole thing makes no sense

with all the foreclosed homes sitting around empty. I don't understand how making families homeless and leaving buildings vacant and unmaintained benefits anyone.

[noamnety]

6. The father was in the news last year:

http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/03/the_invisible_wounds_of_the_iraq_war.html

[Mari333]

7. man, that makes it even sadder. damn.

[noamnety]

9. I know - it's heart-wrenching.

One of the things I daydream about is turning my house into a home for returning vets.

The reality is something I can't dump on my husband and something I don't have any resources to handle ... but if it were entirely up to me and wouldn't impact my family I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[TornadoTN]

12. This is just a shameful, horrific thing for this country to do to its vets

But the banks are doing a-ok and the Republican's still use our troops as pawns in their game, so life is great I guess.

This guy has lost so much and suffered so much and now this. What is being done to help this guy and his family?

[Hawkowl]

10. Fuck DHS

If they really cared about people they'd just put these people up in an apartment instead of trying to "reposess" the kids.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY!?

[TornadoTN]

13. No kidding. This is apalling

They will leave kids in meth addicts households here in TN, but they are going after this guy because he's homeless and had an accident that seriously injured his child!?

[noamnety]

14. kick for the evening crowd (nt)