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Subscribe to RSSA Sugarland, Texas, family mourns the loss of a seven-month-old boy, after the father left the child in the car. KPRC's Nefertiti Jaquez reports.
It’s a tragic sign of spring: Two young children have died this month in Texas and Missouri after their parents accidentally left them all day in hot vehicles.
Although such deaths occur in nearly every month of the year, records show that warmer weather typically heralds a seasonal spike in fatalities from hyperthermia, or heat stroke, among children left in cars and trucks.
Worse, experts add, such calamities don’t have to happen.
“It’s a totally preventable occurrence,” said Kate Carr, president and chief executive of Safe Kids Worldwide, which recently launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the problem. “Our hearts go out to the parents and families of these children.”
In the most recent cases, a 7-month-old boy from the Sugar Land area of Houston died May 3 after the child’s father, Leland Jacobson, 41, left the baby for hours in the backseat of a pickup truck in 89-degree weather. Jacobson wasn't normally the parent who took his children to day care and became distracted after dropping off the older kids, police said.
On the same day, a 13-month-old boy from Lee’s Summit, Mo., died after his mother, a teacher, mistakenly believed she’d already left the child at day care that morning. Temperatures reached 83 degrees that afternoon.
“The investigation has revealed no signs of foul play and at this time it appears that the death was a tragic accident,” said Sgt. Chris Depue, spokesman for the Lee’s Summit Police Department.
That’s true of most cases in which children die after being left in hot vehicles. At least 529 such deaths have been recorded since 1998, including the two logged in the past week, according to figures from the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, which tracks reports.
On average, 38 children die each year in hot cars, reports show. The numbers typically begin to climb in May, with an average of three deaths per month. They spike in July and August, when nine deaths, on average, are recorded, the figures show.
Overall, more than half of the deaths -- 52 percent -- occur when a child is mistakenly left in a vehicle, typically by a parent or caregiver who is rushed or stressed, said Carr.
“That’s a story we’ve heard first-hand,” she said. “The baby falls asleep in the back and mom or dad gets distracted. You can get in the car headed to work and absolutely forget.”
More precisely, a distracted brain can get stuck on autopilot, allowing parents to believe they actually have left the child, said Janette E. Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org,which has been focused on the problem for a dozen years. Her agency has counted 620 child deaths from hyperthermia since 1990.
Frequently, the accidents occur when there’s a deviation from the normal routine. Dad is handling the drop-off instead of mom, or there’s been some other change in schedule.
"The parents are absolutely certain that their children are in a verysafe place," Fennell added. It's only later, at the end of the work day, for instance, that they realize what's happened.
About 30 percent of the deaths occur when a child is playing in an unattended vehicle and becomes trapped inside -- or in the trunk, reports show. Another 17 percent of deaths occur when a child is intentionally left alone, for instance, when a parent went shopping.
Once inside, the babies and children face temperatures that soar quickly to lethal heights. It takes only 10 minutes for the temperature to jump 20 degrees; within 30 minutes, it can climb by 34 degrees, according to a vehicle heat study sponsored by General Motors, which helps fund Safe Kids Worldwide.
Under that scenario, even a mild day -- 70 degrees -- can quickly become deadly.
“Cracking the window doesn’t help,” Carr said. “If you’ve ever been in a hot car that’s parked on an asphalt parking lot, you know how quickly that car heats up, even if your windows are down.”
Child's body heats five times faster
Regardless of how or why a child is left behind, the effect is swift and devastating, said Dr. Leticia Ryan, researcher and clinician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C.
“The child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s,” she said. “Their internal systems are not fully developed.”
Kids don’t sweat as efficiently as adults and their bodies absorb heat faster. It can take as little as 15 minutes in an overheated vehicle for a child to begin to suffer life-threatening brain or kidney injuries. When body temperature reaches 104 degrees, internal organs begin to shut down. At 107 degrees, children die.
“It’s the double whammy of being more vulnerable to the heat illness in a short amount of time,” said Ryan, a pediatric emergency medicine expert who has seen many young victims of heat stroke. “In most cases, they’re usually too young to get themselves out of the car seat or to alert people outside of the car to their predicament.”
Norman Collins Sr.
Three-month-old "Bishop" Collins died on May 29, 2011 after he was accidentally left in a car in a church parking lot in Clarksdale, Miss., on a 93-degree day. His grandfather, Norman Lee Van Collins Sr., has become an advocate for car safety.
Such deaths leave the families devastated, too. The shock, grief and guilt are overwhelming, said Norman Van Lee Collins Sr., whose 3-month-old grandson, Norman Van Lee Collins III, known as “Bishop,” died last May 29 a hot car in a Mississippi church parking lot.
The child was accidentally left behind as his family hurried into a church service. The child’s father was the minister of music, so he was retrieving his keyboard from the car. He asked another church member to get the baby and take him to the nursery. But the church member didn’t hear him.
“There was just this miscommunication,” the grandfather recalled sadly. “I lost my grandson.”
To compound the tragedy, when Norman Collins Jr. reported the accident to the police, he was arrested for negligent manslaughter.
Nineteen states have laws that address leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. Thirty-one states have no specific laws, according to San Francisco State reports. An Associated Press investigation in 2007 found that charges were filed in about half of cases in which children died of heat stroke in vehicles; more than 80 percent were convicted.
In Collins’ case, the grand jury didn’t choose to indict him. “I did not even explore why,” the senior Collins said. “I was just so glad they didn’t.”
The bereaved grandfather now speaks publicly about Bishop's death in order to warn other families about the danger.
Airbags put babies in backseat
In one of the ironies of vehicle safety, the number of hyperthermia deaths in cars has skyrocketed since the early 1990s, when the advent of airbags led to directives that young children be placed in the back seats of cars and in rear-facing car seats for infants.
That position makes it easier to overlook babies, even for the most conscientious parent, said Carr, who recalled nearly forgetting to drop her own 2-year-old at day care -- until the child spoke up.
“Thankfully, my daughter was not a small baby who fell asleep,” she said. “From my own personal place in my heart, I have a great deal of empathy for these parents.”
Safety advocates such as Fennell, of KidsAndCars.org, have lobbied for years for technical solutions to the problem of leaving babies behind. Some private firms have come up with various devices, monitors and other alerts that can be purchased online, but none is available off the shelf, Fennell said.
Better, she said, would be a required sensor that could alert drivers that someone is still in the vehicle when they’re locking the car.
“We feel this is a good strategy because we know that many people feel that this ‘could never happen to them’ and may not think they need to purchase aftermarket technology,” she added.
Meantime, KidsAndCars advises all parents to institute an “iron-clad” rule with day care providers to contact parents if a child has not arrived as scheduled.
Safe Kids also advises that parents put back-up systems in place to prevent tragedy: Set up a “peace of mind plan” in which it’s routine to call or text a partner or other caregivers so that everyone knows when a child has been dropped off.
Place a purse, briefcase, gym bag, cell phone or other object needed at the destination in the backseat with the child. Set an alarm on a cell phone or computer calendar as a reminder to drop a child at care.
Though the number of child deaths from hyperthermia in cars is small, the actual number of incidents in which kids are endangered is likely much larger.
In Palm Beach County, Fla., there were 500 near-misses last year in which kids were retrieved from cars before they were seriously hurt, Carr said. The actual number of close calls is unknown.
“Never leave a child alone, even for a minute,” she said. “It can and it does and it might happen to you.”
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It is nothing but stupidity on the part of an ADULT, when they treat their children like an unimportant object. Their is no excuse, what so ever, to come up with, "I forgot they were in the car". Dollar gets you ten, they would not forget about their precious cell phone, we got to make sure we have that with us. Now they won't have to worry about having too lug around a kid, won't they. Poor babies, that is how they are treated all over this country.
How many cellphones have died because they were left in a car? How many times are police reports opened for neglected cellphones? It only takes one time of forgetting a child to kill him or her. Children in backseat, rear-facing car seats that are always in a car regardless if the child is present is why these things happen. Throw in a sleeping child and you get these disasters. If you read the article, you would notice what they refer to as "autopilot mode". How many times have you driven the wrong direction out of habit, walked to the wrong filing cabinet, or into the wrong room? Same concept.
If you can't see this correlation, then I'm sorry you lack these thinking skills.
And BTW, no, I don't have children.
All the news reports do no good - this happens every year and the people that do it are not the kind to read or watch the news.
If you see a kid in a car that is unattended - call the cops - at that moment!
I am grateful I do not have kids.
I have functioned on auto-pilot a few times in my life, and it's terrifying to think something could happen like this if I had kids. Or even a dog (though they tend to make their presence a little more known)
I liked what the article said about finding a way to build into the car a mechanism that could alert the parents if a child were still in the car.
I was thinking, maybe the simplest thing could be connected to the seatbelts.
Already, if you start your car without buckling your front seat belts it flashes a warning + makes a warning noise.
Perhaps they can simply adjust that so that if you turn off your car, and open the driver door - if there are ANY seatbelts still connected it can send a warning sound.
If that prevents ANY deaths, it's well worth it...
Tonypa, I cannot agree with you more. The article offers suggestions such as leaving your cellphone or briefcase in the back seat with the child. We can't forget out phone, but it is so easy to forget a child, an infant! There is simply NO EXCUSE for forgetting an infant or small child. There is no such thing as "auto-pilot" in a human. It is actually a lack of concentration, allowing your mind to wander instead of focusing on the task at hand. Take responsibility for your actions people...
I'm sorry, but I just can not comprehend how someone can be so self centered and self absorbed that they "forget" that they have their child strapped in a car seat in the back seat of their car. The welfare of your child should always be the most important thing. How can someone not remember if they dropped their kid off at day care or not. If someone is that distracted they have no business even being behind the wheel of a car!!! The article tries to blame the huge increase in cases of babies dieing this way on the advent of airbags requiring babies to be put in the back seat. Many people put their babies in their car seats in the back seat long before airbags came along. The real reason for the large increase in cases is that many in the generation that is currently having babies were raised with an it's all about me attitude and are completely self absorbed. The idea that anyone, even their own kids, would ever come before their needs or interests just does not compute in their brains. There is a reason that
When the authorities do charge the parents they are usually convicted because rational people do not buy the "I forgot (s)he was in the car" excuse. I imagine if all of the parents were charged instead of half the conviction rate would not go down very much. Juries just do not buy that a conscientious parent is going to simply forget they have their kid with them. Many of the parents get lucky and avoid prison because some sympathetic DA decides not to charge them, thinking they are already suffering enough because they lost their child. I can not believe that the case of 'Bishop' Collins that is mentioned in the article did not result in the father being indicted. He was so worried about getting his keyboard out of the car and taking care of the music that he failed to make sure his child was taken care of. He calls out to another person to take his child to the nursery and without ever getting any acknowledgement from the other person that they would take care of it he just assumes it got done and goes about his business. His child should have been his first priority, not his stupid keyboard. To me this is gross negligence on his part and he should have been indicted and convicted. The police got it right arresting him and the grand jury failed the poor baby who died.
Too many people treat their children more like a fashion accessory than a precious gift to be cherished and cared for that should be the most important thing in their lives. They worry more about making sure they have their iPhone than they do about making sure that their child is taken care of. Maybe they if they stick their stupid iPhone in the baby's car seat it will ensure that they do not forget about the baby.
no excuse ever. I have a 3 yr old and I always know if he is with me. Nothing should be more important than your children.
As a parent I cannot think of anything worse than a loss of a child. Putting people in jail who intentionally abuse or neglect their kids is one thing, but putting a person in jail because of a mistake is another. Maybe some of you can judge other people's actions from a distance and say how bad they are and how they need to be punished. A good friend of mine lost his 8 year daughter (heart disease) and he aged 20 years almost overnight. His life will never be the same. The folks who lost their kids by accident will never forgive themselves for forgetting. They don't need to go to prison. In fact they probably don't care what happens to themselves now.
I have a 1 year old...still struggle with post-partum depression from time to time (it was really bad in the beginning)....and normally have a lot of compassion for all aspects of parenting....this is NOT one of them.
I cannot fathom "forgetting" you have a child in the car. To me, it is negligence that borders on criminal.
Once it has been determined that it wasn't on purpose, I don't think the parents should be charged (as they were delivered the worst punishment). But I'm not going to let them off the hook by saying "I understand" because I definitely do not.
I believe those who believe something like this could never happen to them, are at risk of it happening. What I mean is, when my son was a baby, toddler and now a teenager I always had it in my head that it could happen to me. That mind set always and still has kept me on my toes.
Some people refuse the concept of devises to help keep these things from happening.
You make a good point about the cell phone thing, tonypa. Most of us function like we can't even move without having our precious little cell phones in our hands. It's like a lot of us have cell phone on the brain or something. If we thought the same about our precious little ones behind us in their car seats, maybe these kinds of tragic accidents wouldn't happen on the scale that they do.
That point made though, life can be really stressful and most of us seem to function better (especially with the "before work morning stuff") when we stick to a set routine. If that routine changes in any way, we don't seem to function as well. In so many cases like this that you hear about, the morning routine changed in some way; dad was supposed to drop off the baby at daycare instead of mom, who usually does it. Or the parent went in late to work, or after an appointment. Some part of the normal routine changed that day and a tragedy was the result.
My heart goes out to parents and family of these precious little souls. How in the world do you ever forgive yourself for something like that? May these little ones rest in peace.
Good point, AZ Hockeymom.
Arrogance and pride are the downfall of many. However, I think most of these cases are people who live very "carefree" lives. Meaning...they have never had bad things happen to them, never had bad things happen to their friends/family, and so they are not sensitive to the cruelty this world can deliver.
Nasa has created a device that is ment to assist in preventing tragedies such as these tragic deaths.
Matt, you're not even addressing what tonypa is talking about. Police reports from dead cell phones? Are you insane? Or just that dumb? Tonypa is saying that no adult will forget their cell phones, yet they forget their child, who is much more precious. It has nothing to do with "autopilot mode" even if the article states that. People walk in the wrong direction all the time simply because they're preoccupied with other things. These careless adults forgot that they had a new baby with them.... No excuses. Obviously there are much smarter people in this world that DO remember to take their infants out of their cars... I hope these sorry excuses for adults never have another kid.... EVER.
I try not to judge other parents. I'm not a perfect parent all the time. But for the life of me I just don't understand forgetting your child in your car. I'm busy, we are all busy. We all have routines. Not being the 'regular drop-off person' is not an excuse.
WeRDoomed - I agree with you in that everyone makes mistakes, myself included. But there's a world of difference between forgetting your cellphone or handbag and forgetting your child that you spend every possible (millions of parents need to work to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads - I'm talking about off-work hours) minute of each day with.
This isn't an issue of who makes mistakes and who doesn't. We all do. My mother once said that the only people who never make mistakes are those who don't do anything. The issue is that these "parents" never seem to forget their phones, but their child is written off as an accident. It's criminal negligence, if not third-degree murder or manslaughter (in the U.S.).
My friend once saw a child alone in a car (temperatures were in the low to mid-70s), and she posted on her Twitter about whether or not she should call the cops. I said to do it right away - cars heat up REALLY fast, even if it's not that hot outside. Fortunately, she did, and remained with the vehicle until cops arrived.. She said that she would have smashed the windows open (again, my suggestion), but the nearest police dispatch point was less than five minutes away. I don't know if they were charged with anything or not - that's beyond our knowledge.
I have no sympathy whatsoever for these cretins. Maybe it's a cynical view, but I can't help but wonder if leaving kids in cars is a way to get rid of them.
I had the exact same thought. The worst part is, there really is no way to prove it. As I mentioned in my first comment here, I had and still battle post partum depression. There were times in the beginning when he would be screaming in his crib after a (5 minute) nap and I would think how badly I needed some sleep, how resentful I was at how bad I felt, and how guilty I felt for not being better at this job....and STILL going to pick him up and rock him even if I was crying the whole time.
He was and always is the first and last thing on my mind. Babies need constant attention so once you put the groceries away....wouldn't you notice how quiet and relaxing it was in the house!?!?!?! and wouldn't that scream out to you "WHERE IS THE BABY!?"
How does one "accidentally" leave a child in a car? I take my dog in the car with me a lot, and he's the first thing on my mind wherever I'm going. I can't imagine how obsessive I'd be over a child.
It is hard to believe that a parent or caregiver etc could forget that they have a child in the back seat. But it is even harder to fathom that a parent would do it maliciously. Yet we do have monsters in this world that would go to that extreme to get rid of their child. I cannot imagine the guilt and grief that a parent etc goes thru when they forgot their child was in the car. Mistakes do happen, and they must be punished. And monster who murder their child by leaving them in a hot car to suffocate---there is no punishment out there that is enough.
Every parent should make their own back up system when a kid is with them or pretty soon some money hungry person and lack taking responsibility will sue car maker for not installing sensor in back seat. It's tragic and a travesty for losing a child due to parent absent mindedness, no one is to blame but the parent. It's good parenting to know where your child is specially little ones. How one sees it, it's the parent(s) responsibility for their child being sound and safe.
I used to be as judgmental as some of you are being, but then it almost happened to me and my son 11 years ago. I was in my own little world, thinking of all the stuff I had to do to get my area at work ready for inventory and my normally incredibly vocal 1 year old was in the backseat. About 5 miles into the 17 miles to the daycare and work he stopped his chattering and started napping and I was thinking about work. I pulled into the lot at work and parked and as I got out of my car I looked into the backseat which I had made a habit since I was/am overprotective. Thank goodness I did that because he was sitting there grinning at me like he had gotten away with something. I was so upset that I had driven right past the daycare that I called in sick to work and went home. It was then that I realized that it can happen to someone that normally is right on top of these things. An unusually quiet child and a busy day ahead at work almost ended in tragedy for us. Judge me if you will, but I know that some of these incidents are purely accidental. You posting about how terrible these parents are on these message boards will not bring the children back and you cannot make these parents feel worse than they already do for forgetting their child. The best thing you can do is to remind people to put their purse, cellphone, wallet or whatever they won't forget in the backseat so they are forced to look back there before getting out of the vehicle.
I NEVER forget where my child is!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to send these people to JAIL!
That is the fact Randy, Someone died and someone is negligent period.
It appears that there are a lot of very judgemental people out there. You are lying to yourself if you don't think this could ever happen to you. My children are all grown and are very loved, but I have no trouble imagining how being so wrapped up in your work schedule or whatever day to day responsibilities you have, could result in forgetting that there is a sleeping child in your back seat. This didn't happen before babies had to be placed in the back of the vehicle for safety. They may be safer in an accident, but unfortunately, especially in the case of an infant, you don't see that reminder sitting next to you. My heart goes out to these parents who will have a lifetime of guilt that will never let them forget that moment of inattention.
How do you forget about your kids? I don't even have any kids but I know for a fact that if I did I sure as hell wouldn't forget about them and leave them in a car.
It just wouldn't happen.
I'm sorry, but I can see how this happens in exactly these two ways. A father, who does not normally drop off the kids. His mind is on work, as usual. And the teacher also is easily understood. Her life is harried and underpaid. Once she is in the school, she cannot easily leave without jeopardizing her very job. These women can hardly breath. This is what we have wrought in our society of struggle for women and danger for children. The auto alert solution is very good. We also have to allow working mothers to be mothers first without holding it against them at work. As a single mother, I know. I sacrificed the work for my son and I am glad tho' poor and under threat of eviction. My body is too injured to work but Social Security will not give me enough to live on. So I struggle for the very basics, utterly alone. But my son, in University, healthy, loving, intelligent and determined to build a good community is the result. And I am overjoyed. Though I may live in my car soon, I did the right thing. Society will have to decide if it has.
Yes, I get distracted. Yes, I go on auto pilot. Yes, my son falls asleep in the car. NO, I *never* forget he's in the car with me!
These people clearly have no right to be around children.
How on EARTH do you forget about a child? Nothing is more important.
Wow. I'm amazed at everyone's absolute assuredness that they not only know this wouldn't happen to them but also feel they know that the parents that this did happen to couldn't possibly have cared about their children. And I especially love stonedog34's reply that he/she doesn't have kids but knows for a fact that it wouldn't happen to him/her. If you don't have kids then you have NO idea what it feels like to drive your child to daycare every morning and how you truly can be in a zone. NO ONE thinks it could happen to them...until it happens to them.
Wonderful, attentive and loving parents lose their children to all kinds of freak accidents all the time. And I can guarantee you, being a mother myself, that there is no punishment on Earth that could possibly be harsher on these parents than the guilt they'll carry the rest of their lives.
Some people just need to be sterilized....
Safety tip - Create a ritual that after you drop baby off you strap a teddybear into his carseat. Then when you get to work bring the teddy in with you. Set it on your desk to remind you you didn't forget anything or stick it in a bag on your way in if you're embarrassed to be seen with it. BUT when you go to get the teddy out of the carseat and find your sleeping baby instead it could save his life.
Don't bother putting the parents in jail if it was a genuine mistake. I know if I did it I would be killing myself shortly after the funeral. I wouldn't be able to live with that.
I can't imagine having to live with knowing your own carelessness cost your child its life. It is such a terrible way to die and so unnecessary.
Heat is a dangerous thing not only did the infants die the parents suffered from exhaustion...Things will only get worse as the planet heats up.
WeRDoomed - I hope you can find peace and beat the beast that is depression. I'm childfree, but depression doesn't care about your reproductive status. I deal with it every day, and while I'm generally happy and cheerful, I can sink into that horrible pit that I feel I can't climb out of. It's terrible. Again, I don't have kids, but I know what profound depression feels like, and I would never wish it on anyone. I won't ask any intrusive questions, but journaling and weekly talk therapy have helped me tremendously. I'm also on medication (though this may not be an option for you if you are breastfeeding), which I resisted for years (I've tried every natural remedy under the sun, but they all failed). But you know what? I wonder why I waited for so long.
Again, best of luck to you! Don't beat yourself up over it. It doesn't mean that you're a bad parent! Depression, postpartum or otherwise, is a disease, and it should be treated as such. My mom suffers from depression, and she's the best parent I could ever ask for.
What I find truly hilarious, FedUp-2631307 is that people like you mistakenly believe that you have the slightest inkling as to how my mind works.
At least, it would be hilarious if it wasn't so damn insulting.
Well fedup i do have a kid and I know that this will never happen. My son is my whole world and nothing is as important ,not work or the daily grind, nothing. You people saying that you can understand how this happens, please pull your head out of your asses. This is unecessary and unacceptable. No excuse. Period.
Stupid and / or careless people having baby's. This is the result.
It's shown study after study, more educated people have fewer children. Less educated people have more. With the cost of education going through the roof, the number of uneducated people are outnumbering the educated.
Result: The world really is getting dumber.
How can one "accidentally" forget they have kids in the car? These people are either on drugs, drunk, or just stupid.
This is not an accident, its called child neglected and endangerment. Lock these two people up for life.
They deserve to be locked-up, but nothing too severe or long-term, that would be inhumane.
24 hours would be fine. Just bind their hands and feet, strap them down inside a locked SUV, with no water, in a parking lot on a 85-90+ degree day, then wait.
If they deserve mercy, let them have the same mercy they showed to their children.
those of you who want to prosecute these parents
what about the poor guy who asked a friend, a church member, to bring the baby in the car to the nursery at church (he was getting the keyboard-he was in charge of music-out of the car)? You know how at church/temple people act like family. He really thought the person heard him...but the person was distracted. (or the person forgot...he says he didn't hear him but he might have and forgot...how many would own up to forgetting?)?
He was so sure the person heard him. He was going off in a different direction, they friend asked "do you need any help".
Though if he were not the usual parent, he might not be used to how anal you have to be about these things. A primary parent...usually that is the mother...would normally be super anal that the person heard her because the stakes are high. Given my experience with primary and not primary parents (I do't want to say Dads, but my experience is with Dads as the not-primary parent), the people less used to what could possibly go wrong (nonprimary parent, ie dad in my case) just are not as anal about things and take risks mothers don't. It's harder to imagine a mother who wouldn't make super clear that the friend heard, asking...did you hear me? waiting for them to say OK etc. I don't know the details of that part of this case. Still, it was an accident and the kid was not forgotten. It's not right to charge this father I think.
I really hate to read these reports. Perhaps there should be some kind of automated device to warn police of such things, I don't know. It really saddens me and I am sure that the parents are tortured night and day of their mistake.
Myself, I too have driven all the way to an interview with a very quiet child in the back only to discover that I forgot to drop him off at the babysitter. I can understand how this can happen, and am quite saddened by it.
What better way to kill a child you don't want by "accidentally forgetting" it's in the car? Yeah, probably most all of them are really accidental but I would bet tham many of them are intentional. If a mother would kill her child, as many have, they would not hesitate to use this as an excuse. All of them should be investigated as a homicide until it's determined that it really were an accident.
Please read this article. It's Gene Weingarten's Pulitzer Prize winning article on this exact thing. If you still think the parents should be prosecuted after reading this, fair enough. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html
It's called criminally negligent homicide. Nothing more and nothing less. If a person is distracted enough to "forget" a child for whom they have responsibility then they don't deserve the responsibility. Not everyone is capable of handling responsibility, I'll grant that, but anyone that is that careless should know enough about themselves to not be responsible for the life of a child. There is no such thing as an "oops" when it comes to a dependent life such as this.
When you are in your car with a child, your focus should be on those two things. Anyone who is so distracted or thinking about work, shouldn't be driving a car, and sure as hell shouldn't have children.
Absolutely inexcusable. I have two children, they are my focus, my life and the reason I breathe. Yes, parents get distracted, are sleep deprived or stressed. I have been all of those, as most parents are at one point or another. If you are THAT distracted, THAT sleep deprived or THAT stressed, take the day off. No excuse for getting in a motor vehicle, child in it or not, but especially if you have a child.
Using the excuse of not being the normal parent to drop the child off? Total CRAP. Just strapping that child in the car before you leave the driveway would be reminder enough.
No offense Jim Maxwell, but you can't find ANY study/article that would convince me that parents just "forget" their kids.
I'm a single mom, college educated, working a full time job. Is life hard? Yup. Is it hectic? Yup. Have I ever gotten so distracted I forgot my kid? lol no. Nothing is more important than my childs welfare. He is my greatest achievement in life, why would I forget that?
Excuses are just that...excuses. People who forget their kids should never be around children. Ever.
Wow, I am stunned at the horribly judgmental comments here and the "I would never do such and such" self-righteousness. Puleeeeeeeeeeze. People make mistakes! Sometimes HUGE ones! They have to LIVE with the loss of their child every day for the rest of their lives. How about a little compassion all you perfect people out there?
@Jim Maxwell;
Thank you for that story and link.
@CaptB;
Yes, all you need is for the same thing to happen to you some day, then you'll understand.
I myself have forgotten that my child was in the car and know how easily it could have gone very bad. Driving to an interview, I got all the way there only to discover that my quiet child had not been dropped off at the day care, as I had planned. I remember my surprise and horror at what could have happened in the Las Vegas heat on that day as I turned the car around and drove to the daycare, a little later than expected for my interview.
Yes, it can happen to us all. The fact that it is absolutely horrible does not change the fact that it can still happen.
Overall, I agree with you, Tony. Every day, I see people walking around everywhere tightly clutching their precious gadget in a hand. The phone is so important that it cannot go in a purse, pouch or pocket, it must be instantly available to check email, surf the web, read a 'tweet' from another 'twit', or answer a text messge. This phenomenon is not limited to young people or only one gender, I see middle age adults, both sexes as well as young adults and teens/preteens doing this.
As for 'forgetting' kids in the back seat while doing something, IMO there is no excuse for it. If a parent is too busy to remember that little Johnny/Suzy is in the car, maybe they shouldn't be parents...
Devil - do you have kids? im just a little confused on how you're so capable to notice so much about so many people around you...specifically about their cell phone habits...and still maintain the absolute attention necessary for your kids (or yourself even).
I mean, you can notice they are "clutching" their cell phones versus holding them.
Thats a lot of focus and attention...
I mean, I barely notice other people around me unless they are dressed like peacocks...and I don't even have kids to require all of my attention and focus.
you should really give some thought to your issues with other peoples cellphones...it doesnt sound healthy. Id hate for you to leave a kid in your car because you are getting aggitated over some twit tweeting on their phone near your car.
Jessica, do you constantly have your head in the clouds or eyes at your feet not to notice any of these things? Are you just THAT obvlious to your surroundings? Its not hard to miss that 3 of every 5 people you see walking on a street are on their cell phones. You are probably one of these people with their noses glued to their screens too. I don't have kids but I have other responsibilities that need attention and I would never put them before my gadget. Toys can be replaced. Children cannot. Yet people seem to think that gadgets are things they can't live without. So selfish.
I tend to agree with DevilDog that there is really no excuse. I have some sympathy for the dad in this story because he didn't normally take the baby. And of course I have sympathy when it's a grandparent or another adult that may not normally have the child with them. But the mother that thought she took the child to daycare! That's BS in my opinion. Dropping a child off at daycare is a routine that is programmed into your brain. I refuse to believe that you could skip a MAJOR part of an EVERYDAY routine and not remember, unless you have serious issues.
I hated leaving my son at daycare and I made sure I got hugs and kisses when I dropped him off. How do you forget this? I am not proud to admit this, but I am pretty much 5 minutes late for everything. I am ALWAYS in a rush, but I would never have thought I dropped my baby off when I didn't.
I am not accusing this mother specifically, BUT I absolutely believe SOME people have found a way to commit murder that can't be proven.
Maybe it's just me but the fact that the Dad didn't normally do the day care drop off wouldn't that make him MORE conscious of the child in the car?
I just don't get it. I go on auto pilot quite a bit myself, but cannot imagine forgetting that my child is in my car.
I like the posting one person made. If you see a child or a pet in a closed locked car this summer call the cops,,IMMEDIATELY. If you don't have a cell, smash the windows. That "Minute" that people think they are going to spend running into the store for something can seem like an hour (or actually be that long) for a pet or a child locked in a car on a 90+ deg day.
Jessica, if you can't/don't notice the people around you but only have eyes for your kid. Please tie your tubes.
You have to be aware of your surroundings ALL the time, especially if you have kids.
Please stay in your house and cover the walls with aluminum foil since you clearly have no idea what the real world is all about.
Every single one of you people are absolute idiots and morons, How the eff do you forget that your own child is in the car with you, your the one that put him in there dumb ass, that's like forgetting that your heads attached to your neck. Do you really get so wrapped up in your daily duties that you forget that you have an effing skull. This is just clear and total stupidity nothing more, quit trying to come up with an excuse to be stupid.
Jessica-1170252,
So are you saying that we all have to have kids to understand when someone else is being irresponsible with their kids? So when I see someone beating their kids, leaving their child in a car, you are saying I'm not qualified to know what a filthy slob they are?
You live in a tiny, tiny world. You don't get out much do you?
I see people clutching, molesting their cell phones SO much, I got a jamming device and take it everywhere people should not be using their phones. At least within 100 years of me, they can live their lives for a change.
Truth Addict,
I agree with you 100%.
But, never argue with an idiot... First thing they do is bring you down to their level,.. then they bludgeon you with experience.
I do think that some people without kids do understimate how distracting mulitple children are, especially
if you are not in the routine of taking care of them...perhaps because you are not the primary parent and also do not KNOW that you can be so distracted that things are unsafe.
I do not have kids myself but have worked as a nanny and take care of many kids of friends and relatives so I KNOW how distracted I can get and KNOW what mistakes I COULD make (because I've had some near misses..not leaving kid in car though...but other things). Someone who is not practiced being with kids and how distracting they are to attention can have a false sense of "everything is fine"
to be honest, the people who I find who are more apt to be lax and in danger of such a mistake are all men. Though i don't know any fathers who are primary caregivers I cant' say if the men were the primary they would be this way. I suspect it's the lack of enough routine with the kids that they haven't seen what can go wrong. Or at least some of them haven't talked about dangers in childrearing or read about them in books as much as some moms have. I just find fathers are much more lax around potential dangers. Many of the kids I know who have been hurt in a parents care have been hurt more on only in the Dad's, not the mom's. Maybe he lets them take more risks (at play) but it seems to me that accidents (falling down ungated stairs, being allowed to ride bike without helmet, falling out of crib because he forgot to put side up) are mostly men.
maybe thats not relevent though. I guess I want to say it because I find those same people are the ones that mock the primary caregivers for being overprotective and anal around the same issues.
A child has never had a serious accident in my care, because they are not mine perhaps, I am super super anal. Also, I am primarily caring for
About the moms who left the kid forgot to drop at daycare? she could have been ill...headache etc. It might not have been her routine or it could have been at a different time. She could have been depresssed. I do have trouble imagining a primary caregiver, if she was, forgetting a child. I guess for me that is one criteria of judgement. Is this something that was part of the routine and was this person the primary caregiver who was normally responsible? (sad that that person would get more blame for their mistake, but that's how it feels). If it were a nanny it'd be worse because i am being paid with the child as my PRIMARY responsiblity...my whole day is around her. It'd take serious ADD or illness and a huge lack of judgement for a nanny to do that...forget her primary and only real responsiblity for her day.
I can see maybe, possibly forgetting your kid is in the car for a couple minutes, but ALL DAY?! Give me a break. As a mom myself, I know where my young child is at all times because that is what a parent is supposed to do. If a kid is too small to get out of a car by themselves, then yes, their parents should have one eye on them at all times. Simple as that.
Leave your stupid cell phone with the child and I bet you won't forget the PHONE.
Sad to say, but, very true, Charles.
Sounds like a good idea to me. I used to leave my work badge with my cell phone and car keys, didn't ever forget it again.
And yet we still have those who do not want to ban cars.
ok crazy
Actually that's not a bad idea. A nice horse and buggy. Less pollution, grass all around to keep your horse happy. No more high speed crashes. It would be fun. And for people that like to drink and get drunk, just get on your horse and pass out. You would wake up at your house.
There's these people called the Amish....
how can you forget your children in the car???????? stupid people
yup
"...accidentally left them all day in hot vehicles..."
If I haven't seen my kids in the last hour or two I go looking for them and they're teenagers
Same here. I don't want to keep track of every move they make, but I do insist they text me when they head out on their own. These days you must be aware.
It is beyond me how children can be neglected like this. How can anything be more important? Anything at all?
There is NOTHING more important than keeping your children safe. But as the article mentions, it usually happens when there is a CHANGE in the schedule. Our schedules are so IMPRINTED in our brains, that a slight change can alter the way we respond. We do the same thing day after day, hour after hour, WITHOUT even having to think about it, because it's ROTE.
I cannot even imagine losing my child UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, but to lose your child because you forgot them is SAD BEYOND BELIEF! In a million years, there is no way you could ever forgive yourself. You will have that knife in your heart until the day you die.
I believe that there truly are genuine errors, mistakes that parents make in cases such as this, and I do understand when it's termed as "No Fault". There is no court, jury or judge in the world that could pass a sentence that would suffice under this type of circumstance. The person who left the child behind is suffering their own excruciating sentence, and will continue to suffer until the day they die.
Reni
I understand what you are saying. It's just that to me if a person is trusted with the responsibility of a child, that should be paramount to anything else whatsoever. Foremost in your mind. Nothing else should be any more than second. It isn't a gallon of milk left to sour. It is a helpless little human being. To me there is absolutely no excuse.
wichasha - and yet, if you are a parent, I guarantee at some time in your life...you've neglected your kids in ways you dont think you ever do, and mostly you dont remember it because nothing bad happened.
I suspect, like all mothers (and fathers) everywhere, you've managed to juggle taking care of your kids while doing other every day tasks that you have to do...they simply can not be ignored all because you have a child in your care at that moment...and you seem to think because nothing tragic happened to you, it's a testament to your awesome mothering skills.
when in fact, you are simply lucky.
the first time your kid breaks a bone, remember to blame yourself for not being as awesome as you should have been...after all...that kid is your responsibility and paramount to everything else...right?
I cant even begin to imagine how this happens, nor can I understand how a kid gets molested on a parents watch...and yet 1 in 3 girls are molested in childhood.
Horrible parents abound, indeed.
Jessica
Absentmindedly leaving a child in a hot frikkin car has no parallel whatsoever to a child breaking a bone while being involved in the activities that every kid on the planet does while growing up. Stick to the subject.
how hard is it to look in the back seat of your car. when driving don't you look in the rearview mirror - if so, don't you see what is in the backseat? well you should.
why didn't we hear about such things 20 years ago? because people weren't so self absorbed? weren't so stupid? weren't so careless? or maybe just maybe some people shouldn't have children from the getgo.
And many parents have the gall to call people selfish if they choose not to have kids. On the contrary, it's unselfish not to have kids if you know you won't have the time and attention to give them.
People can get immune to audible signals like an alarm clock. Leaving your cellphone with the kid is a much better idea.
@tonypa and DevilDog943 - Good to see you are both perfect, never distracted, and never have forgotten things because your routine was disrupted. Yes, there are horrible parents who leave their children in the car on purpose to shop, gamble, drink in a bar, etc., however there are also parents who simply make a mistake. Yes, a big one that they can't come back from, but it's not mistreatment or treating children like an unimportant object. But that's okay. Judge away.
however there are also parents who simply make a mistake.
a dead child isn't a "mistake". Leaving your kid in the car all day long isn't a mistake. Hell, I check my car every time I leave it, and I DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS! It is an act of carelessness that can't be fathomed. What could possibly be more important than your child?
BS....it has nothing to do with being perfect....it has to do with responsibility! Here is a simple tip for all parents, when you get out of your car make sure there are no babies left behind. I don't care how messed up my routine gets I am responsible for a life and no interruption is going to make me forget the fact....
@DeeBus- It's exactly mistreatment! This is NOT acceptable, understandable, or mistakable. If you have a child at any age group that they still can't fend for themselves, then as a parent your child ALWAYS comes first! If this is me being "judgmental," then so be it!
Uh ... yeah, it is.
If you're so distracted you can't even remember your own kid, you have no business driving a car in the first place. Is getting to work on time really more important than your child? Sure, being late may get you fired ... but at least your child will still be alive.
It's negligence, gross negligence, and there is no excuse. I'm glad these parents get charged with negligent homicide, because that's exactly what it is. The death of a person due to negligence.
I'm guessing most of the posters on here don't have kids. While it never happened to me (I had one of those mirrors so you can see the rear-facing baby, and double checked the seats every time even if I didn't take the kids anywhere), I can understand how it could happen. The combination of sleep deprivation and a quiet, sleeping, rear-facing child can be deadly.
I think the main way to prevent this is to have a caregiver that will call you if you don't show up with the kid when scheduled. I've had both the babysitter and my mother-in-law call to check on us if we were running late. If the caregiver has a policy to do this unless they've been directly notified that the kid won't be there, we could prevent half of these deaths.
that's a good idea inmissouri. But it really shouldn't be a caregiver's responsibility to do that. The caregiver will have 15 or so other kids to look after...
inmissouri: I have kids and I've never been so "distracted" that I left them in the car, shopping mall, grocery store, etc.
Kids are the first and most important priority at every moment. Kids aren't something you just forget because you're busy with something else or because you got "distracted" - this is why many here can't fathom what could take precedence over a little person in their care. Many posters here are correct in the assumption that people are way too consumed with their damn phones or other electronics. I've watched on many occasions where a child wanders off or trails behind at 30 feet because the parent is checking and responding to their latest text.
I understand mistakes happen but these stories blow me away. I feel for the parents, it's a mistake they will never forget or be able to fix. Throwing them in prison is not the answer but asking them to educate others would be valuable and may bring them some sense of peace knowing someone else won't make the same mistake.
I agree Work harder, work more,
I don't do anything without thinking of my kids first. They have always had the first priority in my life, I could never "forget" them.
I have only one schedule to keep, my kids.
These parents are idiots. Everyone knows you're supposed to leave the window open a crack.
I hope you aren't stupid enough to believe what you just wrote. Please tell me that you just forgot that sarcasm often doesn't work well over the internet.
Just in case someone out there is stupid enough to take your post seriously: you don't leave children unattended in the car **AT ALL**.
I had no problem seeing the sarcasm.
I saw the sarcasm, at least cracked a good smile and light chuckle when I read it.
The reasons of being distracted and mistakenly left them in the car are not excuses. If I got distracted driving my car and killed a pedestrian I would be charged with manslaughter, but because these individuals are parents nothing will happen. Yes I have forgotten my keys or other objects but helpless children, there is no excuse.
Bob-1955253 ~~ I agree that there is no excuse, but there is a REASON for such behavior. Killing a pedestrian is defiantly NOT the same issue in any way, at least in my way of thinking. And you are soooooo wrong when you state that nothing will happen to the parents, because they are the parents. The parents now have a LIFETIME of pain, guilt, remorse, grief, and most likely nightmares.
they should have nightmares of roasting alive in a car.. and screaming and crying for help with no one to hear them... and there should be a crowd of people watching them calling them a baby murderer. then they should commit suicide in real life.
Just a possible reason, and it is just a theory here, But did these parents want these kids?
What I mean is, did they have an "accidental" pregnancy? Did these parents want to have kids or was it unplanned?
Are these kids interfering with these people's lives, or a part of their lives?
The parents that let their child die in such a horrific way should have a lifetime of pain, guilt, remorse and nightmares.
They at least have that lifetime, unlike the child that died from their carelessness and neglect.
There was a local case a few years ago, father 'forgot' to get his toddler out of the car when he got home. He blamed his wife, older kids, everyone except himself for leaving the poor kid strapped into the car on a 90+ day. He got a slap on the wrist because he 'had suffered enough by the loss of his child.'
The only way he'd have suffered enough would have been to strap him into the car on a hot day for a few hours. If he survived, then he could go free.
Set a daily alarm reminder on your cell phone or watch. Speak to your spouse on the way to work to verify the details of your child's drop off. Put your phone, purse, backpack or briefcase next to the car seat when you first get into the car. Ask your child care provider to call both you and your spouse if you're more than 15 minutes late to drop your child off.
Or, aim high and try thinking of your child as a member of your family and not an item on your to-do list.
My mom's friend fostered kids and one of her female foster kids got pregnant. One day, as my mom, her friend and I were getting out of the car, my mom and her friend forgot the baby. I didn't, since I was in the back seat with the carseat, and carried him in the house. All of their kids were teenagers at the time so it had been a number of years since they had a baby
Tonypa & DevilDog 943, I couldn't agree with you more. As a parent, my child is with me at ALL times regardless of how busy I am. Everybody and anything else can just WAIT. The problem in this society is these so call "parents" are more interested in material things and being "popular" rather than attending to the their child. It doesn't matter how busy one is, the top priority should alway be your child and their safety. No matter what reason anyone has to try and "justify" their action for doing this, the bottom line is that there is NO excuse and there is no such thing as an "accident".
Probably busy updating their Facebook page on their smart phone or just generally too flustered with all this great technology we have at our fingertips. American industry and techno companies want us to be plugged-in all the time, busy all the time, productive all the time, spending all time and yet they keep producing all this useless fecal matter in the form of bunghole apps and an extra 60 GB of storage so we can watch House or American Idol over and over again, anywhere we want!!
Poor children and misguided parents.
Terrible and tragic, my condolences and wishes to the parents involved and the families. People make mistakes every day, I can see where this situation could happen and i'm sorry for the loses. Instead of blaming someone for being human I think we each need to figure out how to help each other. Please pay attention to your surroundings and if you see something - make a call to help. Honestly, this could happen to you, a family member or neighbor but you could make a difference.
I guess I lucked out, when I was born my mom quit work to take care of me full time. People today are so obsessed with other meaningless crap that kids take a back seat - literally in the case of this article.
And how does being a stay at home mom matter in this case; was your mom a shut in that never left the house or your side? I agree that people are distracted by a lot of meaningless crap, but one baby died in a church parking lot and there are all kinds left in the parking lots of shopping centers.
My mom worked through my childhood, as she made more money than my father, and couldn't afford to become a stay at home mom. She worked the overnight shift full time, put us on the school bus in the morning, slept while we were in school, and would get up in the afternoon to make dinner for us.
I never felt like I took a backseat to her job. Most people can't afford to have one person in the relationship not working. People can still be responsible parents, even if they both work. Just because both parents work doesn't mean they're obsessed with "meaningless crap." Maybe they're trying to give their kids what they need.
"A distracted brain".......yeah, right. How about no brain.
Distraction is no excuse. I don't understand this -- I was ALWAYS aware of my child being in the car with me. They had an overwhelming presence whether they were sleeping or not, whether something else was going on or not. It was like they were one of my limbs, and if I started to get out of the car without them I immediately felt like something was missing. How can you go all day and not feel that? And what the heck is wrong with double-checking the backseat before you leave the car? No excuses, people. NONE!
Well, the red states just can't wait showing their level of stupid!
This is so stupid and reckless.
And I read that in America they strap the kid down for added safety in those funky chairs ?
My sympathy goes out to these parents. Clearly they made a mistake, and one that unfortunately had the most severe of consequences. The majority of these cases happen in the first year of life, when the parents are already exhausted from working 40+ hour work weeks, and being up several times a night with a baby. Anyone that has ever had a baby knows how true and deep and overwhelming that exhaustion can be. Now we can judge and say they shouldn't have been driving if they were that tired and stressed, but let's get back to reality. We need to work, and having a two-income household has become the norm. None of us are perfect, so how about we just be thankful that nothing has ever happened to any of us like that. I am sure that the parents who this happened to would have also said the same thing as many of you before it actually happened to them.......but then it did. Try being a support to the new parents in your neighborhood instead of waiting to kick them when they are down.
great that you speak up for the parents - now how about some of that sympathy for the child?
@ Eric -
Unfortunately it is too late for the children. This was tragic, and these parents will need to live with that for the rest of their life. I am glad that you are perfect enough that you are able to judge everyone else. Get off your high horse and maybe next time lend a hand or ear to new parents....maybe cook a meal or offer to mow their lawn for them. My guess is though that you won't because you would rather just cast stones.
get off my high horse? I have a 3 year old at home. I know EXACTLY what i'm talking about. I know where she is and what she is doing, and if i'm "busy or distracted", then my wife is with the child. So give me a break already. And we both work, by the way, and yes we're tired when we come home from a long day, too. And nobody's coming over to mow my lawn or cook my dinner, either. It's called responsibility. Comes with having a kid.
eric-2645575 Don't worry about it. For some people kids interfere with "their" lives, they are not a part of their lives.
"while being distracted" another term for "talking or texting". When you are in charge of the little ones, stay off the damn phone. OMG how hard is that.
You'd think with the state of technology there would exist a smart car seat that would sound an alarm when a vehicle is turned off if a child is still in the seat. Maybe not one that chirps like so many other tings in a car, but one that actually says something like "check the car seat" over and over and maybe after 2 minutes honks the car horn and unlocks the doors. It could also send an email or call a phone. These days this is trivial.
Oooh, yeah, there could "be a app for that"! Have a carseat that is integrated with the cellphone that will alert you if the phone moves too far from the carseat if there is still any weight in it. It could sync with whichever parents phone when they put the child in the seat and have a max proximity of say 10ft.
I just don't buy distracted or forgot!!!!! Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but this is beyond that and you know it! This is negligence pure and simple! And yes, these people are going through the worst pain of their lives right now, but they should also be held accountable, period!
Airbags kill, verily...
Pretend this is a line int he sand and all of you who are so supreme and have never done anything wrong or absentmindedly please step over. I'm waiting. Still waiting. But then maybe you ge t my point.
I agree. I'm a mother of four and thankfully, my youngest is 8 and this didn't happen to us. But with all the stress and thought distractions my husband has with his job, he forgets important things sometimes. It shows that our world is much too demanding these days!
obicera
I agreed with you at #21. But now at #24 I don't.
Anyone who wants to know my feelings can refer to #6.2.
As a mother of four, I'm so thankful this didn't happen to us; my youngest is now eight. With all the stresses of work and daily living, my husband has forgotten important events before. I think it's a symptom of our super-distracted society. We need to slow down, People!