I just this morning got this email from an MA friend and was shocked and appalled. I decided to check in to it some. I am sure some of it is reality based and the author was trying to make a valid point....but if not real, does the end justify the means?
Subject: McDonald's Ball Pit -PLEASE READ
This is crazy...who would have ever thought McDonald's Play Area's
In addition to the following true story, I will also add that my own sons were playing in the ball pit at Discovery Zone one day. One son lost his watch, and was very upset. We dug and dug in those balls, trying to find the watch. Instead, we found vomit, food, feces, and other stuff I do not want to discuss. I went to the manager and raised heck. Come to find
out, the ball pit is only cleaned out once a month. I have doubts that it is even done that often. My kids will never play in another ball pit. Now read
this:
"Hi. My name is Lauren Archer. My son Kevin and I
lived in Sugarland, Texas. On October 2, 1994, I took my only son to McDonald's for his 3rd birthday. After he finished lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit.
When he started crying later, I asked him what was wrong. He pointed to his back and said, 'Mommy, it hurts.' I looked, but couldn't find anything wrong with him at the time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was
at that point that I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigation, it seemed as if there was a splinter under the welt. I made a doctor appointment for the next day to have it removed.
In the meantime, he started vomiting and shaking. Then, his eyes
rolled back in his head. We immediately went to the emergency room! My only son died later that night. It turned out that the welt on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off in his skin. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from a heroine overdose.
The next day, the police removed the balls from the ball pit and found rotten food, half-eaten candy, diapers, feces, the stench of urine, and
several hypodermic needles."
(If you question the validity of this story, you can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10, 1994 issue of the Houston Chronicle.)
I went to Google to research it and found the following:
Hoax writers' technique
A friend named Dianna sent me the following on Saturday:
I am trying to verify the authenticity of a letter I received via e-mail this morning. I am very careful not to pass on things that are not truth and which I personally have not checked out through other sources. Hoax sites on the Internet could not help me with this one, and since it was stated that I could check this out in the Oct. 10, 1994, article in the Houston Chronicle on Kevin Archer, I thought maybe you could help me. I have sent an e-mail communiqué to the main e-mail for the Chronicle but then saw your name on that site as well. This article supposedly states that Kevin died as a result of a needle injection of heroin while playing in a ball pit at a McDonald's and the investigation proved that there were needles, some empty and some full, feces, food, knives and a stench of urine. I question this article, since it is asking people to pass the warning to other parents and the article supposedly is so old. Could you help me validate or deny the authenticity of these accusations before I address the person who sent it to me.
Yes, I can help with this one.
A search of the Chronicle archives shows no article mentioning Kevin Archer on Oct. 10, 1994, or any other date. And there's only one article in the Chronicle archives that mentions "McDonald," "heroin" and "needle" in the same article, and that was about AIDS and drug users, and it quoted a doctor whose last name was McDonald.
Also, since I was in the news business in Southeast Texas in October 1994, I feel certain that I would have heard about that story if it were true.
That's one of the favorite techniques of hoax writers. They attach the name of a real publication and a specific date (far enough in the past to make verification difficult), and it makes their garbage seem much more authentic.
But some smart people like Dianna know that just because a warning on the Internet cites a reputable source, that doesn't mean the reputable source ever reported what's being claimed.
No, the Chronicle never reported on needles in the McDonald's playground. It didn't happen.
And now the rest of you know.
Thanks, Dianna.
Have you heard anything about this?
Vicki
Does the end justify the means?
Moderator: Available
I wonder if the person, more than trying to make a good point, was just having some malicious fun, seeing if they could pull something off like a computer hacker does, or trying to damage the rep of McDonalds. If they wanted to raise awareness of dirty ball pits, all they'd need would be 5 minutes on 20/20 and whatever real gripe they had. There's such a fuss if any possibly unsafe toys are sold to our youngins, publicity would be easy.
As far as the story goes, I just can't think of a reason a heroin distributer would draw up an expensive syringe of the product, leave it uncapped, and then go playing in the ball pit at McD's only to lose it. If they did it'd be a special effort to lodge the needle in a toddlers bottom, inject the drug and then break off the needle under the skin (the weakest point is at the hub, so this would be the whole needle buried in the kid, and snapping one generally takes some back n forth to fatigue it). Plus, he probably would have presented with drowsiness and respiratory depression before she had a chance to make an appointment, as heroin OD's usually end with someone not breathing, unless they manage to aspirate vomitus first, which is unlikely with attention around. A sudden delayed decompensation is not possible. Lastly, I'd be shocked if any parent didn't notice their kid emerging from the pit without their diapers (do the real little ones commonly play in there without supervision? hope not) and it'd be impossible for the balls to hide them and their odor before anyone else noticed.
The thing that's making these hoaxes so easy to pull off these days is the overabundance of truly shocking true stories we've become accustomed to
As far as the story goes, I just can't think of a reason a heroin distributer would draw up an expensive syringe of the product, leave it uncapped, and then go playing in the ball pit at McD's only to lose it. If they did it'd be a special effort to lodge the needle in a toddlers bottom, inject the drug and then break off the needle under the skin (the weakest point is at the hub, so this would be the whole needle buried in the kid, and snapping one generally takes some back n forth to fatigue it). Plus, he probably would have presented with drowsiness and respiratory depression before she had a chance to make an appointment, as heroin OD's usually end with someone not breathing, unless they manage to aspirate vomitus first, which is unlikely with attention around. A sudden delayed decompensation is not possible. Lastly, I'd be shocked if any parent didn't notice their kid emerging from the pit without their diapers (do the real little ones commonly play in there without supervision? hope not) and it'd be impossible for the balls to hide them and their odor before anyone else noticed.
The thing that's making these hoaxes so easy to pull off these days is the overabundance of truly shocking true stories we've become accustomed to
--Ian
Hi,
I searched the Urban Legends site and came up with a match on the story being a hoax. Please everyone, check and be sure you know the source before alarming people with misinformation. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
You Searched For:
Search Term(s): Kevin Archer
Search Archive: Urban Legends
Search Operation: All
The pit-iless death of Kevin Archer
Does a popular chain e-mail truly relate the tragic death of a boy from a syringe injury in a McDonald's playground ball pit?
1 Research Report(s) Found!
The pit-iless death of Kevin Archer
Case File: ULRR0053
Research by: Redman Lucas Wells
Page: Page 1 of 6
Added: Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Updated: Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Themes: Angst, Chain E-Mail, Death, Hoax, Urban Dangers
Current Status: False
Tag: Does a popular chain e-mail truly relate the tragic death of a boy from a syringe injury in a McDonald's playground ball pit?
MessageBoard: 4 Messages (Click to read)
The Urban Legends Research Centre has received a surprising number of requests regarding the following chain e-mail:
Hi, My name is Lauren Archer, my son Kevin and I lived in Sugarland, TX. On October 2nd, 1994 I took my only son to McDonald’s for his 3rd birthday.
After he finished his lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, I asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull-up and simply said, ‘Mommy, it hurts.’ but I couldn’t find anything wrong with him at that time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point when I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigating, it seems as if there was something like a splinter under the welt.
I made an appointment to have it taken out the next day, but soon he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled back into his head. From there, we went to the emergency room. He died later that night.
It turned out that the weld on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off inside. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from heroine overdose. The next week, the police removed the balls from the ball pit and lo and behold. There was rotten food, several hypodermic needles: some full; some used; knives, half-eaten candy, diapers, feces and the stench of urine. If a child is not safe in a child’s play area then where?
You can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10, 1994 issue of the Houston Chronicle. Please forward this to all loving mothers and fathers!
On the 2nd of October, 1994, Kevin Archer apparently received a syringe injury while playing in a McDonalds playground ball pit in Sugarland, Texas, USA, and subsequently died from a heroin overdose.
Incredibly, on the 2nd of October, 1999, the same Kevin Archer apparently suffered a syringe injury in a McDonalds playground ball pit in Midrand, Texas, USA, and subsequently died of… a heroin overdose.
On that very same day, in Midland, Texas, USA, Kevin Archer played in a McDonalds ball pit and began complaining to his mother about a stinging pain in his buttock, only to die of… a heroin overdose.
Remarkable coincidence, I hear you ask? Well, lets just say that Kevin Archer and his mother Lauren seem to be drawn to McDonalds ball pits, and Kevin has died as a result at least 3 times that I know of…
Thankfully, the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society web page that examines this chain e-mail effectively lays poor little Kevin to his final rest, debunking this tale for the hoax it is and has always been.
The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society notes that, despite claims to the contrary, no article has appeared in the Houston Chronicle reporting the death of a Kevin Archer from a needle-stick injury resulting in a heroin overdose.
There is even room for considerable doubt regarding whether or not enough heroin to kill a person, even a toddler, would not have an almost immediate effect on that person, rather than the delayed effect implied by the chain e-mail. In other words, it should have been evident within minutes, if not sooner, that the child's life was in danger.
If nothing else, he or she should have undergone a fairly stark behavioural change as the heroin took effect.
That having been said, it is apparent that urban environments are increasingly becoming littered with dangerous objects. Since the advent of HIV and AIDS, in particular, the danger represented by accidental needle-stick injuries has increased dramatically, with reports of such injuries taking place in many public areas, including parks and beaches, among others.
The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society indicates that parents should be concerned about any playground equipment that might conceal dangerous objects and recommends that parents should make themselves familiar with how regularly and how thoroughly they are cleaned.
Seems like sound advice.
I searched the Urban Legends site and came up with a match on the story being a hoax. Please everyone, check and be sure you know the source before alarming people with misinformation. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
You Searched For:
Search Term(s): Kevin Archer
Search Archive: Urban Legends
Search Operation: All
The pit-iless death of Kevin Archer
Does a popular chain e-mail truly relate the tragic death of a boy from a syringe injury in a McDonald's playground ball pit?
1 Research Report(s) Found!
The pit-iless death of Kevin Archer
Case File: ULRR0053
Research by: Redman Lucas Wells
Page: Page 1 of 6
Added: Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Updated: Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Themes: Angst, Chain E-Mail, Death, Hoax, Urban Dangers
Current Status: False
Tag: Does a popular chain e-mail truly relate the tragic death of a boy from a syringe injury in a McDonald's playground ball pit?
MessageBoard: 4 Messages (Click to read)
The Urban Legends Research Centre has received a surprising number of requests regarding the following chain e-mail:
Hi, My name is Lauren Archer, my son Kevin and I lived in Sugarland, TX. On October 2nd, 1994 I took my only son to McDonald’s for his 3rd birthday.
After he finished his lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, I asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull-up and simply said, ‘Mommy, it hurts.’ but I couldn’t find anything wrong with him at that time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point when I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigating, it seems as if there was something like a splinter under the welt.
I made an appointment to have it taken out the next day, but soon he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled back into his head. From there, we went to the emergency room. He died later that night.
It turned out that the weld on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off inside. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from heroine overdose. The next week, the police removed the balls from the ball pit and lo and behold. There was rotten food, several hypodermic needles: some full; some used; knives, half-eaten candy, diapers, feces and the stench of urine. If a child is not safe in a child’s play area then where?
You can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10, 1994 issue of the Houston Chronicle. Please forward this to all loving mothers and fathers!
On the 2nd of October, 1994, Kevin Archer apparently received a syringe injury while playing in a McDonalds playground ball pit in Sugarland, Texas, USA, and subsequently died from a heroin overdose.
Incredibly, on the 2nd of October, 1999, the same Kevin Archer apparently suffered a syringe injury in a McDonalds playground ball pit in Midrand, Texas, USA, and subsequently died of… a heroin overdose.
On that very same day, in Midland, Texas, USA, Kevin Archer played in a McDonalds ball pit and began complaining to his mother about a stinging pain in his buttock, only to die of… a heroin overdose.
Remarkable coincidence, I hear you ask? Well, lets just say that Kevin Archer and his mother Lauren seem to be drawn to McDonalds ball pits, and Kevin has died as a result at least 3 times that I know of…
Thankfully, the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society web page that examines this chain e-mail effectively lays poor little Kevin to his final rest, debunking this tale for the hoax it is and has always been.
The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society notes that, despite claims to the contrary, no article has appeared in the Houston Chronicle reporting the death of a Kevin Archer from a needle-stick injury resulting in a heroin overdose.
There is even room for considerable doubt regarding whether or not enough heroin to kill a person, even a toddler, would not have an almost immediate effect on that person, rather than the delayed effect implied by the chain e-mail. In other words, it should have been evident within minutes, if not sooner, that the child's life was in danger.
If nothing else, he or she should have undergone a fairly stark behavioural change as the heroin took effect.
That having been said, it is apparent that urban environments are increasingly becoming littered with dangerous objects. Since the advent of HIV and AIDS, in particular, the danger represented by accidental needle-stick injuries has increased dramatically, with reports of such injuries taking place in many public areas, including parks and beaches, among others.
The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society indicates that parents should be concerned about any playground equipment that might conceal dangerous objects and recommends that parents should make themselves familiar with how regularly and how thoroughly they are cleaned.
Seems like sound advice.
The REAL Story!
AHA!
The REAL story is obviously the multiple resurrections of Kevin Archer!
Sigh....
student/Murray
The REAL story is obviously the multiple resurrections of Kevin Archer!
Sigh....
student/Murray
The REAL Story!
AHA!
The REAL story is obviously the multiple resurrections of Kevin Archer!
Sigh....
student/Murray
The REAL story is obviously the multiple resurrections of Kevin Archer!
Sigh....
student/Murray
Up in NH there were some problems with people leaving used medical needles in the play areas- the ball pits at different resteraunts. Big thing- they have stricter cleaning "laws" now- several children were stuck with the needles- though I don't remember if any actually contracted the aids virus or not... But that kind of thing does happen-
KM
KM
