Children left in cars

[PigletsMommy]

The leading story on our local news tonight was about a 3 year old child left in a car for, get this.... 3 HOURS!!

This happens every summer & I just can't even begin to understand it. Every time the story is that the caregiver "forgot". Are you kidding? How can someone forget they have a child in the car? The heat index has been between 100-110 for the last 2 weeks. They reported, according to the medical examiner, an hour after they found the child her body temp was 107!!! That poor baby!!


In all fairness, they did give more to this story. The mother had just found out that her father passed away in Laos....either while she was driving home or pulling in the driveway, IDK. She took her 11 yoa daughter inside but left the toddler in the car. 2 hours later a family member asked where she was & mom told them she was sleeping. Dad got home an hour after that & asked where the baby was...she again said sleeping. They decided to look for the child & couldn't find her...thats when they looked in the car.

Do you think that is a valid excuse for leaving her daughter to die in a hot car? so far no charges have been brought.

I tried to find a link to the story but apparently they haven't updated the website with the additional information. This is all I could find & it was last updated an hour before the story aired.

http://www.wsmv.com/news/24627342/detail.html

 

[arubio0801]

Omg!!!! That is not an excuse at all!! What about the 11 yrold?? They couldn't get out of the car them self???? These stories always bother me!!!

 

[Liberty Belle]

The leading story on our local news tonight was about a 3 year old child left in a car for, get this.... 3 HOURS!!

This happens every summer & I just can't even begin to understand it. Every time the story is that the caregiver "forgot". Are you kidding? How can someone forget they have a child in the car? The heat index has been between 100-110 for the last 2 weeks. They reported, according to the medical examiner, an hour after they found the child her body temp was 107!!! That poor baby!!


In all fairness, they did give more to this story. The mother had just found out that her father passed away in Laos....either while she was driving home or pulling in the driveway, IDK. She took her 11 yoa daughter inside but left the toddler in the car. 2 hours later a family member asked where she was & mom told them she was sleeping. Dad got home an hour after that & asked where the baby was...she again said sleeping. They decided to look for the child & couldn't find her...thats when they looked in the car.

Do you think that is a valid excuse for leaving her daughter to die in a hot car? so far no charges have been brought.

I tried to find a link to the story but apparently they haven't updated the website with the additional information. This is all I could find & it was last updated an hour before the story aired.

http://www.wsmv.com/news/24627342/detail.html

I don't know about "excuse," but I think it's a valid explanation. I completely understand how it can happen. Think how often we go on autopilot when we're driving somewhere.

For this reason, I always made a point of looking in my son's carseat every single time I got out of the car. Even if I knew he wasn't there, I made myself look. Because I don't think most of the people who do this are crazy or neglectful or any different from you or I.

This is completely different from those complete idiots who knowingly leave their children in a hot car when they go into stores and, in some cases, bars.

 

[Holly]

I called the police on someone a few weeks ago for leaving their dog in a hot car at WalMart. The dog was already flat out when I saw it and the person hadn't been in there that long. People don't realize how quickly cars heat up even on seemingly mild days.

 

[bumbershoot]

While at the gym, I read a long article about this issue a few months ago. Quite a difference reading a whole article about it than a short newspaper article or a soundbite on the TV.

It's not as uncommon as we would all hope, and it almost always happens when there has been a change in schedule. The people interviewed in the magazine were all good, caring people who loved their children beyond anything. And a mistake was made by a parent in each case. A horrible, sad, miserable mistake that caused the death of very beloved children, but at heart, it was a mistake.



A woman ran me off the road while driving her family to her own father's funeral. She didn't even know or notice until a young cousin in the back of the van let her know that she'd pushed a car off into the median.

People get distracted when things happen, and when you're pushed off of your normal schedule, things that should not be forgotten somehow manage to be.

I'm sure that in some cases, a few, this is done by rotten evil parents.

But I think that in the vast majority of cases it is a mistake that *any* of us could make if the situation and circumstance were just right (or wrong).

 

[PigletsMommy]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Irritated & Angry... not paying attention to typing I guess!

The 11 yr old got out & went inside with the mom. They both left the 3 yr old in the car.


I would think... if mom is so distraught about her father's passing, then why didn't the 11 yr old say "Hey mom shouldnt we get my little sister". Or, IDK,... get the youngest one out herself? Not that it is an 11 yr olds responsibilty or anything. She certainly would not know the consequenses of a child being left in a car.

But, something doesn't sound right to me. Someone should have question where this baby was before 3 Hours.

 

[kelleyrn2000]

I agree it's terrible. But last year I had a horrible mommy moment. My cat had just been put to sleep after a sudden illness. I was extremely upset and had my toddler in the minivan with me that day. He fell asleep in his carseat, and I had a deadline to give my dd birthday party place a final headcount. They wouldn't answer their phones, so I decided to stop there on my way home to tell them.

I was inside, giving them the final headcount,when I suddenly remembered my son was in the van! I couldn't believe I had done such a thing. He was fine, thank heaven it was such a quick errand. I still feel terrible for doing that. How could I forgot he was with me!! I felt so sick to my stomach after that happened.

I know it was stress that led me to do that, and I still take full responsibility for doing it. So I understand how it could happen in certain situations. But it is a terrible terrible thing to happen to anyone. After my mistake, I vowed never ever to drive when upset, no matter what I am upset about. Ever.

 

[ksjayhawks]

We don't know the whole story. 11yo could have been very upset herself; mom may have wanted to get her inside and comfort her. Little one could have been asleep and mom thought she would get older one in then come get little one and got distracted. Who knows. Not saying her actions were right. It is a terrible, terrible tragedy that they will all have to live with the rest of their lives.

 

[krcit]

That poor family

 

[PigletsMommy]

Yeah... I can see how a change in schedule or a stressful event can distract someone to having a bad parenting moment.

I think the problem that I'm having is that it wasn't a moment or even 30 minutes. It was 3 hours.

They said a family member came home after 2 hours and asked where she was...but no one thought to look for her then. Or check on her. I don't know about anyone else, but if my daughter is sleeping for longer than an hour then I start checking on her. Make sure she's not sick...or quietly getting into something .

I keep saying this...but I just don't understand the time frame. 3 hours is a long time.

 

[FireDancer]

I think there is a big difference between a tragic accident like this and the idiots who just leave the kid in the car for convenience or out of laziness. I don't know why the 11 year old didn't say anything but they are 11. They could have been distracted by their mom's reaction to the news, maybe they were sad about their grandfather's death, maybe just didn't think about it since, well, they are 11.

I'm sure that mom will punish herself way more then any law enforcement can, nor do I think that an accident warrants criminal charges in this case (provided of course we know the whole story).

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

So sad.

We had a similar case in our area a few years ago.

Again, a change of routine - the mom was a teacher (or maybe the principal? - IDK) of an elementary school, and it was the first day for all the faculty, also she didn't usually take the child to daycare - the dad usually did. Anyhow, the mom stopped and bought donuts for the faculty, then got to school, and left the baby in the car - for like 7 hours.

Very, very sad events.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I don't really care about the details. It is devastating. What a horrible way to die for a tiny little one.

 

[Minniemouse07]

One of the things dh and I agreed to do when we had kids is to put our bag (backback/computer bag/purse/etc) in the BACK SEAT every time.

This would become our routine and would make us see if we still had any little ones in the back seat when we left the car.

... And I totally agree that there is a difference between unintentionally leaving a child in the car (although most definitely a tragedy) and doing so purposely.

It was on the news this morning that a mom here in the Philly area left her two children (one was 15yo and the second was under 10yo...so both were older) in the car while she went into the casino to GAMBLE!! She was playing slots for 6 or 7 hours and "lost track of the time!!"

The kids managed to find a phone and call their dad to come pick them up.

 

[Imzadi]

I often wonder if this isn't the perfect murder? How many of these parents who leave infants to die in cars get prosecuted, and if so, how long they actually spend in prison? Certainly not as long as for manslaughter.

 

[minniebeth]

These stories break my heart every year. We, too, in Ohio just had this happen with a 2 yo toddler dying with her 3 yo sister still in the hospital.

So sad.

We had a similar case in our area a few years ago.

Again, a change of routine - the mom was a teacher (or maybe the principal? - IDK) of an elementary school, and it was the first day for all the faculty, also she didn't usually take the child to daycare - the dad usually did. Anyhow, the mom stopped and bought donuts for the faculty, then got to school, and left the baby in the car - for like 7 hours.

Very, very sad events.

Wow, wouldn't want this person as my child's teacher if she can't even take care of her own child

 

[Acklander]

What a horrible tragedy. the family is paying a very high price for her distraction.
They're all in my prayers.

 

[susykt4]

One morning several years ago I dropped my daughter off at the bus stop and then went about what should have been my usual routine of dropping off my 3-yr-old son at daycare and heading to work. My son was extra quiet that morning and I was preoccupied with thoughts about work. Fortunately, he spoke up as I pulled into my work parking lot (on the other side of town from daycare.)

That scared me to death and I finally understood how some "normal" people do this. My kid was 3, able to talk and not asleep. I wasn't stressed or worried, just deep in thought. If he had been a sleeping infant, I very well might not have noticed he was back there!

 

[tazdev3225]

One of the things dh and I agreed to do when we had kids is to put our bag (backback/computer bag/purse/etc) in the BACK SEAT every time.

This would become our routine and would make us see if we still had any little ones in the back seat when we left the car.

... And I totally agree that there is a difference between unintentionally leaving a child in the car (although most definitely a tragedy) and doing so purposely.

It was on the news this morning that a mom here in the Philly area left her two children (one was 15yo and the second was under 10yo...so both were older) in the car while she went into the casino to GAMBLE!! She was playing slots for 6 or 7 hours and "lost track of the time!!"

The kids managed to find a phone and call their dad to come pick them up.

This was actually the third case in the last month or so. My problem with this case was why dudn't the 15 y/o have enough sense to go and get help sooner. Or better why didn't the mom keep the 15 y/o home to babysit. My DD works at the casino and you would be surprised at what some of these people do once they get inside to gamble.

For the original post I am not going to pass judgement. It was a tragic set of circumstances. The death distracted the mom and she may have thought that the child was in her room sleeping 2 hours later, erroneously thinking she had bought the baby in the house. The older child is just that, a child, and most likely didn't think about it. They are all going to pay a heavier price than any court system could ever make them pay. I don't understand how it could happen as the grandmother of 6 including 2 toddlers and I pray everyday that it never does happen.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

So sad.

We had a similar case in our area a few years ago.

Again, a change of routine - the mom was a teacher (or maybe the principal? - IDK) of an elementary school, and it was the first day for all the faculty, also she didn't usually take the child to daycare - the dad usually did. Anyhow, the mom stopped and bought donuts for the faculty, then got to school, and left the baby in the car - for like 7 hours.

Very, very sad events.

She remembered to bring the doughnuts inside didn't she? IMO there is NEVER an excuse for forgetting your child. It's not a purse or cell phone it's a part of you.