Near-Tragedy At Scenic Overlook

(CBS)  Member of an Oregon family are thanking their lucky stars -- and calling for improved safety precautions at scenic overlooks --after a picture-perfect moment turned into a near-tragedy.

The Pittons were on a vacation to the Oregon coast with cousins from Iowa when they stopped at a state park along Highway 101 to admire the view of the Pacific Ocean.

Three kids posed for a beautiful photo, when three-year-old Alaina Pitton suddenly tumbled through a fence, toward the lip of a 150-foot high cliff.

It was caught on video.

Someone in the background screamed, "Oh my God, oh my God!"

Alaina landed just inches from the edge.

A cousin jumped the fence and pulled her to safety.

Later, Alain said, "It was so, so scary. I almost fell way down there. I was shaking. My tummy was shaking. My head was shaking. My arms were shaking, and my legs. My feet, too."

Her parents say they're making the tape public in the hope such locations are made more kid-friendly.

Alaina's mother, Charlotte Pitton, descrbied "that heart pounding, and that teffirying feeling that I really have never, I have never experienced that just terrifying feeling like that before."

The family says Alaina wasn't hurt, and they don't plan to sue over the scary incident.

[miriambk]

Here''s a precaution....KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM AN OPEN FENCE THAT RUNS ALONG A CLIFF WITH A 150 FOOT DROP!Don''t blame the park service..USE YOUR HEADS!

[phrancine]

I work at Navy Pier in Chicago and I cannot tell you how many times I have stopped parents from putting their children in DANGER- all for a stupid photo. They will dangle them over the water or set them on top of a marine storage box right next to the water. I always get yelled at, when I explain the possibly of a Coast Guard Rescue because of their actions. There were at least two deaths in Chicago, this summer, because of children falling into the lake. What were these parents thinking???? Oh yeah, they weren''t!!!!!

[ladyore]

I absolutely agree with all of the other comments. I am a native Oregonian and have been to that beautiful scenic outlook with my son when he was just four years old. I ALWAYS had him by the hand. I would never have thought of letting him out of my grasp. To me, these parents were very negligent. I cannot believe that the media is giving them so much publicity. And why in the world were they asked about legal action???? If anything, I think that the state of Oregon should take action against them for trying to cast a shadow on Oregon''s incredible scenic outlooks. These people are so very, very fortunate. Why do they want to show what idiots they are? They don''t even have enough sense to be humiliated by their lack of sense!

[jane5190]

Yes, the little girl is very cute. But I am a parent too and never in my wildest dreams would I have my 3-year old standing against an OPEN fence on which the other side is a 150 foot cliff. I hope this incident makes these very irresponsible and quite idiotic, if I may say, parents wake up and smell the coffee. SHE''S THREE YOU IMBECILES. You alone are responsible for her safety and for making good decisions in regard to that safety.

[blackyowe]

Yes, the government as nanny is what they want. Keep your kids away from cliffs, folks. It''s nature''s law not man''s!

[StoneSoupStation]

Great. Some careless parents let their brats wander too close to CLIFFS and then complain when one who shouldn''t be anywhere near dangerous heights about falls off after THEY tell her to get into a picture pose.
I''m sick of my tax dollars going to protect your nosepickers. Next time, how about YOU take some responsibility for your own anklebiter and leave the goodies for the grownups alone.

[credibility2]

The parents are the ones to blame for this. Why is the media pandering to these lax parents? The media exposure is condoning their stupidity and encouraging them to misdirect responsibility. This is a form of child abuse because it shows abject neglect and indifference to a kid''s safety. The kids are the responsibility of the parents and no one else''s.

[martin762]

Once again, people want to blame someone else for their stupidity. Hello...this, to me, is like Michael Jackson holding his baby over the railing! News flash...you don''t line your toddlers up on the side of a cliff in front of a split rail fence for a kodak moment. God just gave you a free pass on the death of your child so you can learn to take responsibilty for learning how to be better parents. CBS got the real story wrong...it''s not about needing fences at scenic overlooks...it''s about the incredibly poor judgement of these parents.

[dkrose3]

"Her parents say they''re making the tape public in the hope such locations are made more kid-friendly".

What struck me as I watched that tape was that 3 young children were allowed that close to the edge of a cliff and no adult was ensuring their safety. What I saw was children in a dangerous environment and adults more intent on playing the role of a photographer than fulfilling the role of protector. What I saw was neglect.

What I''m hearing defies logic. They are blaming the fence for not ensuring the child''s safety? Maybe they should have put down the camera and picked up the child.

Come on people...be responsible and stop trying to kid proof the world because you are too preoccupied to attend to your children.

[dkrose3]

"Her parents say they''re making the tape public in the hope such locations are made more kid-friendly".

What struck me as I watched that tape was that 3 young children were allowed that close to the edge of a cliff and no adult was ensuring their safety. What I saw was children in a dangerous environment and adults more intent on playing the role of a photographer than fulfilling the role of protector. What I saw was neglect.

What I''m hearing defies logic. They are blaming the fence for not ensuring the child''s safety? Maybe they should have put down the camera and picked up the child.

Come on people...be responsible and stop trying to kid proof the world because you are too preoccupied to attend to your children.