Injured son, girl taken from campers?

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - Daniel Nichols, who accidentally ran over his 5-year-old son while the boy lay sleeping in a tent, says the state is threatening to take away his children.

A Muskegon County Department of Human Services worker visited Nichols' wife Thursday at the hospital, where his son is recovering, and told her a campground was no place for children to live, Nichols told 24 Hour News 8.

"She went to the hospital and told my wife that she doesn't think it's acceptable for us to be staying in the campground, which we weren't staying in the campground, we were just camping for a week or so, and then we were going to get a kitchenette," Nichols said.

Nichols' son, Mason, is recovering at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. Mason suffered no permanent injuries, though he has fluid in one of his lungs, Nichols said.

"My son is going to be fine; he's smiling; he's happy about it," he said. "He knows Daddy's sorry. He tells me all the time -- I was there all day yesterday -- 'Be strong, Dad. It's OK. It was an accident. It was an accident. It's not your fault.' "

Nichols, his wife, Ardis, and their children, Mason, and Jasmine, 2, started staying in a 9-by-12-foot tent at the P.J. Hoffmaster State Park campground in late June -- on a rustic site, with no electricity -- for $18 a day.

They had no place else to stay, he said.

Before that, they had stayed in a small kitchenette, and off and on with relatives, he said.

The family had stayed for a time with Nichols' aunt and grandmother in Muskegon, but his aunt is ill, and there's not enough room, he said.

For three months last year, Nichols and his family lived in a one-bedroom apartment at the Veterans Service Center's transitional housing, the Muskegon Chronicle reported in March 2008. In April 2008, they were forced to leave because their alloted time was up, according to the report. "I don't know where we're going," he told the newspaper at the time.

At 6 a.m. Wednesday, he started his 1992 Ford Explorer so his family could warm up, he said. But he fell asleep behind the wheel before he could wake the rest of the family.

He said he's not sure why the sport-utility vehicle started rolling -- over the tent. Norton Shores police said they were trying to determine if a mechanical problem led to the accident.

"It kind of rolled right into 'em, is what happened, and then I woke up and I put it in reverse," Nichols said.

Other campers, awakened by Nichols' screams, ran to the family's aid. His son was taken by helicopter to the hospital. His wife suffered minor injuries; Jasmine was unharmed.

"It's just so hard on me to know that, yes, it was an accident, but I did it, and it's the worst feeling in the world, to promise your son, every day, you'll never let harm come to him, and you're the one that ends up hurting him, and, of course, it was an accident," Nichols said.

The campground was not a permanent home, Nichols said. He hasn't had one of those since he left the U.S. Army.

Nichols was 21 when he joined the Army -- after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrosist attack. "I woke up that day and thought, 'What can I do to help?'" he told Chronicle.

He was in the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry and among the first soldiers in Baghdad, he said. His job: A scout and artillery surveyor.

"We had to make sure there was no enemy there, make sure it was a safe place for the guns to set up," he said.

Within 45 minutes in the city, mortars exploded 30 feet from him. He lost his captain, he said.

"A lot of combat," Nichols said. "It really seemed like a movie to me -- everything, from beginning to end."

Army records show he left active duty in August 2007.

Nichols is looking for a place for his family to stay, and a job. His wife recently lost her job as a bartender, he said. They're living on his Army unemployment.

He is treated by the Veterans Administration for anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder, he said.

"It really makes it difficult in my day-to-day life for me to even function," he said. "I try to get jobs. There's nothing. I put in for McDonald's. I can't even get a call back for that."

Nichols said he feels like another forgotten vet.

"I'm not expecting any handouts or anything like that," he said. "I do think it's sad that I fought for the flag. I fought for the people. I fought for the Constitution of this country, and I can't even have someone fight for me to get into a place so I can keep my family together."

Department of Human Services spokeswoman Colleen Steinman said she could neither confirm nor deny an investigation because of confidentiality, but "when we learn of incidents where children are potentially at risk, it's our mission and duty to investigate to make sure children are safe."

The state's goal, she said, is to keep children with their families whenever possible.

A fund drive has been set up for the family. You can make a donation to the Nichols Family Fund at any Huntington Bank location.

Jonie Iemetta was the one