AITA for not paying for kids medical bills and how how I handled accident where kid got hurt?

In a bustling apartment hallway, a routine furniture pickup turned chaotic when a young girl darted from her home and crashed headfirst into a heavy desk. The Reddit user, caught in a whirlwind of guilt and confusion, faced a mother’s fiery demand for accountability. The scene, filled with the clatter of footsteps and the child’s piercing cries, left everyone rattled. Was it negligence or a simple accident? The online community buzzed with opinions, eager to weigh in on this sticky situation.

The user’s story unfolds with raw emotion, as they grapple with the mother’s accusations and a hefty hospital bill. With vivid details of a cramped hallway and a split-second mishap, this tale hooks readers into a debate about responsibility, empathy, and the chaos of unexpected accidents. What would you do when a split-second decision spirals into a moral dilemma?

 

‘AITA for not paying for kids medical bills and how how I handled accident where kid got hurt?’

I found a really nice desk being sold on Craigslist. It was for pick up only at the sellers apartment because it was very heavy and there was no elevator. So I brought along a friend to help me carry it downstairs. After carrying the desk down the hallway of the apartment we set it down in front of the stairs for a minute so we could make sure we each had a good grip before we went down the stairs.

One of the apartments doors suddenly opened and a kid ran out and immediately smacked her head right on the corner of the desk. The kid had a really horrible cut on their head and became absolutely hysterical. The girls mom came running out. Then so did several other people that lived there, including the lady I bought the desk from.

My friend and I immediately moved the desk out of the way so the mom could take the kid to the hospital. The mom didn’t have a car though and didn’t want to call and ambulance because of the cost so one of the neighbors volunteered to take them. After they were completely down the stairs my friend and I continued with the desk and put it in my truck.

Then we left. That was several weeks ago and I didn’t think about it again until I looked on my email earlier today. This one is my secondary email that I only use for transactions like this so I don’t look at it often. When I opened it I had several new messages from an email I didn’t recognize.

It was the girls mom who had apparently gotten my email from the neighbor I bought the desk from.. According to her these are all the wrong things we did:. 1. Leaving the desk there where people could get hurt.

2. Not offering her and her daughter a ride to the hospital since we obviously had a vehicle since we were moving furniture. Or at the very least offered to call a cab to take them. 3. Leaving quickly. She says they had to go back inside because the neighbors car didn’t work and was shocked that we had hightailed it out of there. Since we were gone she said she was forced to call an ambulance.. My arguments against these points is:

1. We didn’t leave the desk there. Both my friend and I were with it. We just put it down for literally a minute. 2. I have a pickup truck with just a bench seat in the front. There is no back seat and that girl was not old enough to legally ride in the front seat of a car. I also didn’t have any money for a cab.

3. I’m not sure why we should have waited there. There’s nothing we could have done to help after since we had thought they had already left. It’s not like we even rushed out of there. It just didn’t take that long to load up the truck. There’s also the matter of the hospital bill that she thinks I should pay since according to her the accident was my fault.

ADVERTISEMENT

She attached the bill as well as the ambulance bill, but I don’t think I should have to pay. The emails after that progressively get more hostile with coarse language towards us. So what do you all think?Am I in the wrong here?

This hallway mishap reveals the messy intersection of accidents and accountability. The Reddit user faced a tough spot: a child’s injury and a mother’s insistence on blame. From a legal perspective, liability hinges on negligence, which seems absent here. The user was actively managing the desk, not abandoning it, and the child’s sudden dash was unpredictable.

This scenario reflects broader issues of personal responsibility in shared spaces. According to the National Safety Council, unintentional injuries account for over 200,000 emergency room visits for children annually in the U.S. (nsc.org). These incidents often spark blame, but legal expert John Morgan notes, “Liability requires clear evidence of negligence, not just an unfortunate outcome”. Here, the user’s brief pause to adjust their grip doesn’t meet that threshold.

ADVERTISEMENT

The mother’s demand for medical bill payment overlooks her role in supervising her child. Attorney Sarah Klein explains, “Parents are primarily responsible for ensuring their children’s safety in public areas” (kleinlaw.com). Her perspective suggests the mother’s oversight contributed significantly to the accident.

For solutions, open communication could ease tensions. The user might express sympathy without admitting fault, perhaps offering a goodwill gesture like covering a small portion of costs. Consulting a lawyer or insurance provider, as some Redditors suggested, ensures protection if the mother pursues legal action. Ultimately, this case underscores the need for vigilance in shared spaces to prevent such accidents.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

Reddit’s hive mind didn’t hold back, dishing out candid and witty takes on this hallway drama.

ADVERTISEMENT

LadyCass79 − NTA The kid ran into a stationary object. This is a perfect example of a good life lesson. Look where you are going kid. The parents are more responsible than you are. Respond as little as possible and retain all communications. If you have home insurance that's where you go for a liability defense if she sues.

shittier-than-thou − NTA- her kid shouldn't have run out of a door full tilt. It sounds like a communal hallway, anything could have been right behind that door.

caseycalamity − NTA, for several reasons here: 1. Parents are responsible for the actions of their children. The parent should have been monitoring the child when then ran out into the hallway. As you said, you didn’t leave the desk there. You were with it. It’s not YOUR fault she wasn’t watching HER kid and they were injured.

ADVERTISEMENT

2. You’re not responsible for bringing an injured person to the hospital in your personal vehicle, especially when your vehicle is not equipped for that specific purpose. That’s literally what ambulances are for. She should have called an ambulance if it was that serious.

3. If she expects you to pay ANY bills, she should file a civil suit and the judge can determine IF you’re at fault (it doesn’t sound like you are) and only THEN would you be responsible for the cost. She would be responsible for court and lawyer fees if she wants to go this route.

SueDohNymn − NTA I wouldn't have even responded to the email(s). And if you haven't, don't. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't even think they'd get their argument to fly in court if they were to go after you that way. So the kid goes wailing out the door on a staircase and you're not there, what then? Splat down on the next floor? Who would mama be mad at then?

ADVERTISEMENT

stanvivi − NTA - the girl ran out of the apartment without looking. You were just standing there. if she had been walking and checked she wouldn't have banged her head. it's an unfortunate accident but you're not to blame and your points as to why you didn't help are reasonable

Additional-Sport-836 − NTA, her daughter had no business darting out a front door near a stair well. Don't get suckered into paying for this ladies bad parenting. The lady who sold you the desk should have had people move it downstairs herself, she used you to get rid of it. How dare she provide your email. Don't respond to this at all.

By-AnyOther_Name − NTA your Actions didn't cause the child to get hurt it was accident she ran out of her apartment and smacked into desk. Sure she wasn't expecting the death to be there but like I said it's an accident your not responsible for it and her parents should have insurance for when their child decides to be speedy Gonzalez

ADVERTISEMENT

LoveBeach8 − NTA Let her try to sue you in small claims court. She'll lose. It was an accident. Her kid just ran out. It's unfortunate but not your fault she didn't look where she was going.

CPfreedom − Nta. If I was that kid, my mom would tell me 'And that is why we look where we are going/don't run' etc. Childhood accidents happen and though you may have felt bad, you did not push or back it into the kid, she ran into you. What does mom do otherwise if something happens with no vehicle? Be prepared to take yourself or pay a ride. That is life.

CassowaryCrow − INFO. How far was the desk from the door?

ADVERTISEMENT

These are the crowd’s loudest cheers and jeers, but do they capture the full picture, or is there more to unpack?

This tale of a desk, a dash, and a dispute leaves us pondering where responsibility truly lies. The Reddit user’s quick exit and the mother’s escalating emails highlight how accidents can ignite fiery debates. While the community leans toward “NTA,” the emotional weight of a child’s injury lingers. What would you do if caught in this hallway havoc? Share your thoughts—have you faced a similar blame game, and how did you handle it?

Share this post

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *