Don't think they would be quite that honest about the situation in the US for fear of lawsuit.
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:44 PM on 13th February 2010
Chris Grady with son Ryan and daughter Gabrielle
A father who drove his car into a freezing river with his two young children was today remanded in custody.
Christopher Grady was charged with attempted murder early today and appeared in court in Worcester this morning.
His children, Ryan, six, and Gabrielle, five, were rescued from the River Avon in Evesham, Worcestershire, after the accident on Thursday and airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Both children were critically ill when first admitted to the hospital. Ryan was recovered enough to be sitting up in bed and talking yesterday but Gabrielle is still seriously ill.
Eyewitnesses described how the children's screams could be heard when the car entered the water from a field at around 9.20am
Grady had picked up the children from their mother's house because they had been due to go to school.
He drove his Vauxhall Vectra 100 yards across a field at up to 50mph and it plunged into the Avon at Evesham in Worcestershire.
Grady and Ryan, six, managed to escape but five-year-old Gabrielle was trapped inside the wreckage as it sunk to the bottom of the river.
Miraculously, she survived for two hours in an air pocket before police divers managed to free her.
Last night, she was still in a critical condition in Birmingham Children's Hospital. Ryan's condition has improved and yesterday he was described as 'stable'.
Grady was taken to hospital with minor injuries but discharged later and taken into custody.
Grady's Vauxhall Vectra was pulled from the River Avon yesterday
The car's windscreen was smashed and its sunroof was missing
Children's toys could be seen on the back seat as the car was winched
Family friends say Grady is a troubled man with a long history of alcohol and drug abuse.
A friend of former partner Kim Wise, 36, said: 'They had a row that morning about his drug use. She told him she wanted to split up and keep the kids because he refused to give up heroin.'
'Kim tried to chase after the car shouting him to stop and let the kids go but he sped off.'
Grady, who has three other children, Kristie, 20, Jessica, 17, and James, 14, from his failed marriage to Suzanne Pritchard, 45, was also described as a 'loner' who was unhappy with life.
The Vauxhall Vectra was winched from the river yesterday. It showed few signs of damage, although its sun-roof and windscreen were missing
Children's toys could be seen on the back seat as it was pulled from the water.
Police defended their actions after it emerged that police divers took 97 minutes to reach the scene and a further 12 minutes to remove Gabrielle from the car.
A West Mercia Police spokesman said there were only nine such dive teams in the UK and the Avon and Somerset crew were busy elsewhere when the call came in.
Police divers at the scene shortly after the crash
The scene from the air after the crash on Thursday
At the children's school, classmates were being offered support by specially trained staff.
Graham Walker, the headteacher of Swan Lane First School in Evesham, said: 'The school is deeply shocked and saddened by the recent events involving two of our pupils.
'Following advice and guidance given to school staff by the County Psychological Service, school will reopen as normal after the half-term break and normal school routine will continue.
'Further support will be available if required and pupils will be given the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings in class.'
The crash took place near the village of Evesham on the River Avon
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250716/Father-arrested-car-carrying-children-plunges-River-Avon.html#ixzz0fTHlXasH
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