44 Responses to “Children don’t belong in a hot car”

1. Momish
   August 24th, 2007 at 7:42 am

   

   oh no! I can’t believe such a tragedy could happen. Those poor people!!

   Those are great tips. But in all honesty, I could never imagine walking away from my car with my child still in it. ALONE!!! No job is worth five minutes of your time when it comes to your child’s safety.

   Now that mistake will haunt them for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to them.

2. Lawyer Mama
   August 24th, 2007 at 8:00 am

   

   OMG, that’s so, so horrible.

   Although honestly, I cna’t believe she left her kid in the car for any period of time. Momish is right. It’s just not worth it. Still, I can’t imagine the pain, loss, and guilt they’ll both feel for the rest of their lives.

3. Corinne
   August 24th, 2007 at 8:13 am

   

   Good tips. But I can’t believe that people wouldn’t forget there cell phone, but would forget there child.

   The mother shoud have never left her baby in the car. Like all the other posters said she’s going to live with that mistake for the rest of her life. A very hard lesson learned. A lesson that she should have already known.

4. Jenn
   August 24th, 2007 at 8:45 am

   

   I am a busy, busy mom, but no matter how busy I get, I just can’t imagine forgetting about my kid. Ever.

   That poor, poor baby basically baked to death. How horrible. I heard the temp in the car when they found her was over 140-degrees.

5. Annie
   August 24th, 2007 at 9:20 am

   

   This happens with alarming regularity - it’s so sad.

6. ~JJ!
   August 24th, 2007 at 10:13 am

   

   I’m sorry, but a pediatrician who doesn’t know better?

   A mother who doesn’t know better?

   What kind of busy are you that you can’t drop your kid off to a safe place beforehand?

   I’m sick.

7. Bubba
   August 24th, 2007 at 10:32 am

   

   How sad. Thanks for publishing the helpful tips though…maybe some child will be spared this tragedy if we make everyone aware.

8. Lisa
   August 24th, 2007 at 10:35 am

   

   Oh my gosh. Oh wow. That is scarey. And from what someone said — the inside temp was at 140 degrees. That just makes me sick to my stomach. How horrible.

9. *~*Cece*~*
   August 24th, 2007 at 12:18 pm

   

   That is so tragic but it also pisses me off when I hear stories like this. Seriously, who leaves a child in a parked car because they’re late for a meeting? And to wait for the husband to move the car with the child still in it? It totally angers me. I know it was an accident but it still gets me mad.

10. carrie
    August 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm

    

    This is exactly why I don’t like to watch the news either.

    It is so very sad.

11. Petula Wright
    August 24th, 2007 at 12:50 pm

    

    That is so terrible. I’m surprised people are still doing that given how often we hear of this. It’s so sad and I really feel for the parents… especially the mom. I’m sure she’s going to take a lot of flack being a pediatrician. I know it’s possible to forget your children are with you, but that’s just crazy unfortunate. Another tip to add to yours, especially in a situation like this, call to make sure the other person followed through. No meeting, no nothing, is more important than ensuring children are safe.

12. KC
    August 24th, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    

    Oh my god. Can you imagine the guilt involved? I can’t believe the baby died. NO meeting can be that important!

13. Farrell
    August 24th, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    

    Yes, thank you. I almost wrote on this today, too, as that news story was the last thing I saw before bed last night (naturally I had to read something cheery before slipping off into dreamland, or I was sure to have nightmares).
    I know that the father was a medical researcher, and the mom a physician, but I guess I still don’t understand how this happened. The baby didn’t gurgle or burp or hiccup or babble or cry the whole way to work? Why didn’t the dad load baby in his car himself? Or like, you would think he would at least SEE his wife do it. It gives me chills.

14. Farrell
    August 24th, 2007 at 2:27 pm

    

    Oh, okay. I guess the initial story i heard on the news last night was a bit different; it happens (the news not having all the info the first time around i meant). I re-read but still that mother is totally irresponsible, i’m sorry. I could go on but i’m mad so I’ll stop. and why didn’t the husband/father rush out to the car? I’m still confused how this happened. No matter what, we all agree it was a tragedy. ugh. and it does happen too much.
    also, kids getting backed over in their own driveways. there’s a lot of research on that too. ugh.

15. Worker Mommy
    August 24th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

    

    That’s awful.

    I know the parents must be devasted but having said that I can’t believe she would leave her child alone in the car. Who cares if her husband was supposed to come get the child minutes later. Her first priority should have been the child and she should have made the time to take the child in to daycare.
    Sadly she’ll have to think about that for the rest of her life as she grieves for her poor child.

16. Blog Antagonist
    August 24th, 2007 at 3:36 pm

    

    I used to work in the Management Office of the local mall. You have no idea how many people would leave kids or pets in the car. It’s a horrible way to die.

    There is a difference between outright stupidity and inadvertant negligence, but it’s sad all the same.

17. Amber
    August 24th, 2007 at 3:37 pm

    

    That story makes me feel sick to my stomach. I cringe whenever I see people leaving their animals or children in the car on a hot day…if even for a moment.

    Thanks for the sobering reminder.

18. Anonymous
    August 24th, 2007 at 7:28 pm

    

    unbelievable that a ped would do this even for a few minutes–anything could have happened, not that they deserve this, but it does make you wonder how she advises her patients on childcare. another scary thing is reversing over a child. this terrifies me. it had happened a few times here in the St. Louis area this summer and I think about it all the time. I’m trying to get our SUV fitted with a camera, but have been unsuccessful finding a place to do this for our model car.

19. Christina
    August 24th, 2007 at 8:38 pm

    

    It’s so sad, and yet we see these stories every summer.

    Even when the girls aren’t in the car, I look in the backseat before getting out of the car. It always amazes me that someone could forget their child is in the car.

20. Carla
    August 24th, 2007 at 9:16 pm

    

    I have been hearing more and more of this happening! So tragic! They must be overwhelmed with guilt.

21. Mrs. Schmitty
    August 24th, 2007 at 10:24 pm

    

    I don’t like reading papers or watching the news either because of stories like those. Any bad story about a child makes me ill.

22. Damselfly
    August 25th, 2007 at 2:03 pm

    

    This must be especially bad for someone who’s a pediatrician.

    I think regardless of whether the windows are up or down, kids shouldn’t be left in a car. I just blogged about a little baby in a car in a driveway I passed while riding my baby on my bike. I waited for someone to come out long enough to have taken that baby home with me!

23. Kuwaitia
    August 25th, 2007 at 7:54 pm

    

    these are terrible tragedies…how scary!

24. Steff(http://okierivermama.livejournal.com/
    August 26th, 2007 at 12:20 am

    

    I just blogged on this same thing a few weeks ago. It was my greatest fear when I had my oldest and my solution was if he was in the car with me I always put my purse in the backseat with him. I was terrified that being unused to having a baby I would forget. Mine was always fairly quiet in the car(where did those days go?) but as for toddlers being left…that part is absolutely beyond me. Both of my boys are of the noisy, curious variety and both capable of climbing out of the various restrictive carseats we have had since an early age.
    I do not understand why the auto industry hasnt come up with some kind of buzzer for car seats…I mean we have them for lights left on and seatbelts not fastened surely there could be some kind of buzzer or siren that feels weight or pressure that could go off when the car is turned off?

25. BarnGoddess
    August 26th, 2007 at 10:57 am

    

    omg, those stories make me want to vomit.

26. Blue Momma
    August 26th, 2007 at 3:07 pm

    

    These stories are so sad. It seems like every summer they become more frequent.

    Is this happening more often or do I just pay more attention now that I’m a mother?

    Or maybe it is that people are just getting dumber and dumber. You just don’t take chances with your child. You make sure, you don’t guess/think/suppose where they are.

27. Trish K
    August 26th, 2007 at 6:57 pm

    

    That gives me chills, just horrible. Its hard not to judge someone who did that, but they are paying so dearly for such a tragic mistake….
    Every year I see these stories on the news…everyone is so rushed (including myself) and stressed you can see how this can happen.

28. batman.barbie
    August 27th, 2007 at 9:46 am

    

    Now that more details have come to light, I want to point out that the mother did not leave her child alone in the car. It was a miscommunication with her husband. He met up with her, then dropped her off for a meeting. She thought he knew to drop off the baby before parking the car, he didn’t. He just parked the car, thinking she had already dropped off the baby. It’s a horribly sad chain of events that could happen to just about anyone! This didn’t use to happen as often before airbags made putting the baby in the back seat mandatory. The idea about putting your purse next to the baby is a great one! My heart and prayers go out to this devastated family.

29. Lisa
    August 28th, 2007 at 1:03 am

    

    This is so sad. I understand how their busy lives affect everything, but it doesn’t have to be like this. I think this is a good time for us to think over our priorities.

30. Looney Mom
    August 28th, 2007 at 12:45 pm

    

    Oh that makes me sick too. How tragic. You just can never be too careful.

31. Lotta
    August 28th, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    

    So heartbreaking.

32. Lotta
    August 28th, 2007 at 2:43 pm

    

    Batman Barbie, that’s an important update - thanks for that.

33. Mom Chatter
    August 28th, 2007 at 7:02 pm

    

    These stories make my heart ache and my stomach churn. They really do happen too often… hear about two or so every summer.

    As a side, also keep your doors locked when not in use. I know most people already do this, but in some smaller towns people don’t. Recently, my sister’s toddler got into her unlocked car and no one knew where she had gone off, too. Luckily my sister found her before any damage had been done, but my niece was very red faced and having a little difficulty breathing from being shut in the hot car too long. If my sister hadn’t realized she was missing much later than she did who knows what may have happened. So… LOCK your car doors to prevent kids (your own or a neighborhood child) from getting in and shutting themselves in, as well!

34. my minivan is faster than yours
    August 28th, 2007 at 7:05 pm

    

    This is such an important post. Every time you hear of a tragedy like this it’s because the routine was different that day.

    What a sobering reminder of how little it takes to cause a lifetime of pain.

35. Carrie
    August 28th, 2007 at 7:47 pm

    

    This is heartbreaking. The thought of leaving a baby in a hot car is simply being irresponsible.

36. Burg
    August 28th, 2007 at 9:28 pm

    

    This is a horrible thing and I honestly don’t understand how it happens. I don’t leave my kids in the car for any reason at all, even if it means running them into a gas station for nothing but a candy bar.

37. shauna
    August 28th, 2007 at 11:41 pm

    

    When my oldest was 6 weeks old I read a story in the paper about a 6-week old being left in the car for three hours by a first-time dad. About a month ago I remembered that story when I heard another about a 21-month old who died the same way. It scared me because my youngest is always climbing into our van to play. In fact, once he was anxious to go on an errand with me and actually buckled himself into his carseat (he can buckle, not unbuckle), so I was suprised to find him there but grateful that I hadn’t gotten distracted from running my errand–it was a hot day. So now I ALWAYS lock my van doors once we get home. It’s scarey! This is a good reminder post for everyone.

38. Crabmommy
    August 29th, 2007 at 12:21 pm

    

    Some of the earlier commenters mentioned the importance of not walking away from the car for even 5 mins because “the job isn’t worth it” etc. From my understanding of the article about this tragic accident, nobody walked away: the mom met the dad, gave him her car keys and he thought she merely wanted him to park the car. He did not realize his infant was still in the back seat. Maybe she was asleep and made no sound. And as SlackerMom told us, the seat was rear-facing so Dad didn’t see his child. They are both doctors and probably work at the same hospital. Dad thought Mom had already dropped off the tot and thus this is a scenario of misunderstanding, not negligence.

    I believe an unimaginable and entirely undeserving horror of incredibly random and highly unusual proportion happened to these people. But they didn’t walk away. They are not to blame. It was an accident. And my God, are they ever paying for it, undeserving though though they are of such hideous punishment. How terribly ad and totally undeserving they are of judgment. They deserve only compassion. That’s my take. Poor people.

39. Crabmommy
    August 29th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    

    p.s. Now that I have read ALL the comments, I see that batmanbarbie had already said what I just did: i.e., clarified that the mom did NOT leave her kid and walk away. Yet so many commenters after Batmanbarbie continued to weigh in on priorities and make judgments about these people. All I can say is, wow. We should be feeling for these people, as fellow parents. Not judging them. And especially not judging them based on inaccurate opinions. So much for the fellowship of moms and dads. Self-righteousness…that’s in abundance among us. I can only hope those expressing it are as perfect as parents as they should be.

40. Pickel
    August 29th, 2007 at 8:59 pm

    

    Wasn’t there a CSI episode about this where they wanted to kill their child because of a genetic disorder?

41. Mommy dearest
    August 30th, 2007 at 9:40 am

    

    Oh no way, sorry. She should have brought the child into work with her. I would have. There is no excuse. The stupidity of people really makes me cringe. And a DOCTOR of children- none the less.

42. batman.barbie
    September 4th, 2007 at 8:00 am

    

    I don’t know about you, but I’m not allowed to just bring my child to work with me. Besides, as stated before, she thought her husband knew to drop the baby off. I personally feel hearbroken for both of these parents, but I notice a lot of the judgement is on the mother. She is not the one who walked away from the car! What about their other child? How do you think this is going to affect the rest of his life? This family needs our compassion, not our judgement. They have already been punished more than anyone here can imagine.

43. Amanda
    September 5th, 2007 at 7:00 pm

    

    Thank you, batman.barbie.Indeed we can’t all tote our tots to work, especially if we are pediatricians tending to other people’s kids, like this mom.

    And you’re exactly right to point out that the judgment seems to flow…onto the mom (and by moms, no less). Some of us judge, in spite of us not knowing the full circumstances of the parents’ ordeal.

    I think it’s very disturbing when people leap to pass a verdict. What’s that about? We all judge each other, but lest we not call each other on it, then what will become of us? Especially on a site where we are meant to cut moms some slack, let’s cut that mother some slack — Good God, can anyone really say they know what happened here and that this mom is a bad parent? The woman is a pediatrician, for crying out loud! Of course she cares about kids –other people’s kids as well as her own.

    Evidently something hideous happened in the line of miscommunication. That’s not the same as parental negligence.

44. Conservamom04
    September 16th, 2007 at 10:46 am

    

    You know….this is so absolutely tragic….especially in the case of the St. Louis couple. I know they have taken a lot of ridicule for their miscommunication…but I have to ask…which one of us is perfect? Would I ever leave my child in a hot car deliberately? No…but if I thought my husband was taking my child to daycare and if I had absolutely no reason to check the backseat…I(being human) could make a mistake…and yes…this mistake cost a baby her life, but I would never say “I could never do that,” because under similiar circumstances….any of us could be in her parents shoes. We live in a world of chaos, miscommunication, and distractions, and all that combined with the fact that we are all human and capable of making mistakes…. the best I can say is……there but for the grace of God go I.