How can you forget?

[vettechick99]

Mom Receives Probation in Toddler's Death


ATLANTA -- A Fulton County judge on Friday sentenced a mother to five years probation in connection with the death of her daughter, who died two years ago after she was left in the woman's car.

Lawyers for Nakia Burgess had asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance Russell for leniency when the defendant appeared in Fulton County Superior Court on involuntary manslaughter charges in the October 2002 death of her daughter, Asan'te, 3.

The sentence capped an emotional day in court, highlighted by a tearful Burgess running from the courtroom during testimony by a pediatric pathologist, who told about how the toddler, who had Downs Syndrome, suffered while dying.

Burgess was working in an office at the Tower Walk complex at Piedmont and Peachtree roads in Buckhead when the incident happened. The woman has said that she usually took her daughter to day care but took the girl with her to work because her childcare arrangements that day fell through.

The woman's daughter was left in her mother's car before she died.

Dr. Harry Lee Wilson, a pediatric pathologist from El Paso, Texas, told the court that the temperature in the woman's car soared as high as 120 degrees that Oct. 2 day.

He said the little girl scratched herself and clawed at herself while in the parked vehicle. The testimony prompted a sobbing Burgess to flee from the courtroom.

The judge halted proceedings after the mother ran from the room.

Fulton prosecutors had wanted the woman to serve up to eight years in prison and seven on probation. A lawyer for Burgess had sought probation for the woman



I don't have kids, so I don't know the stress that comes with this. But it boggles my mind that this seems to happen so often. Just about once every few months I hear about another death.

Obviously it's a tragedy, but other than that, I'm just wondering what you parents out there think about this?

 

[kasar]

I always wondered the same thing. I recently saw a tv show about how common it really is and how easy it is to do. You know how you get someplace and you don't remember the ride at all? Like, not remembering stopping at a stop sign. It's the same concept, especially if you do the same thing day after day. They get to work and go into "work" mode with all that comes with a busy day. Not excusing it but that's the explaination of the experts.

The thing that bothers me is that they don't ever check in with the babysitters or think about them ALL day. You would think seeing a picture of them or thinking about calling the babysitter would trigger a memory. It's so sad.

 

[lightningcoach]

I think that our society is moving so fast that we are so stressed out about getting to work, getting the kids to school, and trying to fit 30 hours into a 24 hour day that this could happen to anyone.

Most of the time when this happens it is from miscommunication between parents, or a parent rushing and forgetting the child is there.

There are however cases where the parent thinks out of ignorance they can run into a store and get something done while their child sleeps in the car. Sad also.
Then there are times when a single parent is afraid to lose their job and have psycho bosses that don't understand childcare problems so they leave a child in their car.

For me- my child is a gift that is more precious than any job, any house, any car, any money and any career. But I am married and after my DD was born we had to reevaluate our priorities.

 

[missypie]

Hearing those stories always makes me feel ill and believe me, they are common here in Texas. The ones I have some sympathy for are the ladies who forget they have their infant with them upon returning to work after a 2-4 week maternity leave. You know that those ladies are living on almost no sleep, and if you try to function on almost no sleep, you are going to make BIG mistakes. If I caused my child to die in a hot car, the thought of their suffering would torment me for life, whether or not a jail term was attached to it.

 

[Beth76]

Originally posted by kasar
The thing that bothers me is that they don't ever check in with the babysitters or think about them ALL day. You would think seeing a picture of them or thinking about calling the babysitter would trigger a memory. It's so sad.

You know, that's a good point. I generally tend to be sympathetic in cases like these because of that whole "work mode" thing that someone else said. But, I would think that at a certain point, it would hit you. The other day, I got so busy that I forgot my son's swimming class. The moment I saw his swimsuit, I remembered. I would think that maybe the same would (or should) hold true for someone who left her child in the car. Now, the article didn't say when or how the girl was found. It could ver well be that the mother realized it--just too late.