FL - Girl, 2, left in hot car for hours after family returns from luncheon, Orange City, Volusia Co, 8 June 2023

[Allabouttrial]

According to the report, after approximately three hours, the family exited the residence to drive to a park to release a rabbit they had been rehabilitating. Once in the vehicle, they realized the toddler was still strapped in her car seat and was unresponsive.

Orange City parents find 2-year-old dead in hot car, deputies say

“We forgot that our daughter was in the car,” a 911 caller said.

www.wesh.com

Part of the 911 call is in the article. The hospital is about a mile from the house.

LE took the family’s pickup truck as part of the investigation and DCF is also involved.

It’s even more shocking that the parents only realized the 2 year old was missing when they went back to the pickup for another outing.

From the 911 call:

A frantic woman calling 9-1-1 said, "We forgot our daughter was in the car."

So, they're not even saying they each thought the other person brought her in and put her to bed.

Just straight up forgot.

 

[Laughing]

and inmho there is media coverage of another recent hot car death in Florida --idk how geographically close these two tragedies are:

Infant dies after being left in car for hours while parents attended church, Florida police say

Police are investigating the death of an 11-month-old child left in a car during a Florida church service in which the parents were co-pastors.

www.usatoday.com

FL - Fendra Molme, 11 months, dies in hot car while parents attend church, Palm Bay, May 2023 *arrest*

PALM BAY, Fla. (WESH) - Police in Florida are investigating the death of an 11-month-old baby who was left in a hot car for hours while her parents attended church. Police got a call around 1 p.m. last Sunday about an unresponsive 11-month-old girl at the Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist...

www.websleuths.com

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[MsMarple]

To me this is straight up a case of child neglect. FGS if they didn’t have another outing how long would that poor child have remained in her car seat, roasting?

The “experts” can blather all they want about how it’s natural for a person’s working memory to fail in the same way as they forget to pick up milk on the way home or leave a doggie bag in the car. IMO it’s about priorities and it’s the caregivers’ responsibility to make sure their kids are safe.

I don’t believe this case is one where the parents should escape punishment because “they’ve suffered enough” and I bet LE agrees.

 

[Laughing]

imho apparently no one forgot about the rehabilitated rabbit...jmho of course.


dreamstime.com

 

[Dpdan]

They remembered a rabbit but not their child. Baffling.

 

[mickey2942]

I would be interested to know if the victim, the child who died, was adopted.

 

[GRT]

These incidents are so horrible. The poor baby. I’m not clear on why the parents didn’t notice a 2 year old wasn’t in the house for 3 hours? Wouldn’t you have expected to be changing a diaper or getting water or something for that child in that time?

So so sad.
Moo

I hate these senseless deaths, but I think most of the time they are accidents. Growing up, our pastor and his wife had seven kids and they were traveling from Colorado to upstate NY and stopped at a rest stop. They got nearly 100 miles down the road before they were pulled over. They'd left their nine-year-old at the rest stop. They had no clue.

I think parents or caregivers just get busy with life and perhaps their mind is on something else and they make a mistake. In our pastor's case it turned out okay, but I'm always on the lookout for children or pets in hot cars during summer days. So tragic.

 

[mickey2942]

I hate these senseless deaths, but I think most of the time they are accidents. Growing up, our pastor and his wife had seven kids and they were traveling from Colorado to upstate NY and stopped at a rest stop. They got nearly 100 miles down the road before they were pulled over. They'd left their nine-year-old at the rest stop. They had no clue.

I think parents or caregivers just get busy with life and perhaps their mind is on something else and they make a mistake. In our pastor's case it turned out okay, but I'm always on the lookout for children or pets in hot cars during summer days. So tragic.

If you saw a child or pet in a hot car, what would you do?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Considering 2 year olds have to be watched constantly every moment they're awake, I cannot for the life of me figure out how anyone "forgets" a 2 year old is not in the house with them.

Awful tragedy for this baby girl. She wont be the last this summer either, which doesn't help at all.

jmo

 

[sassyblue]

If you saw a child or pet in a hot car, what would you do?

Several years ago my daughter and I parked at the mall and could hear a baby crying. We found the car a couple of cars from ours and the windows were down a few inches and it was hot outside....in the100's. We called 911.

While waiting for police my thin armed daughter snaked her arm in and was able to unlock the door. We were still on the phone with 911 and she told us get the baby out and we did.

Police and EMT's arrived just seconds later and took the baby from us. While we were giving our statements a woman came running thru the parking lot screaming get away from my car.

She was so surprised when they slapped handcuffs on her. She said I only ran in for a minute. Her car interior was 136 degrees.

Now I always pause when I get out of a vehicle and listen...for babies and dogs.

 

[mickey2942]

Considering 2 year olds have to be watched constantly every moment they're awake, I cannot for the life of me figure out how anyone "forgets" a 2 year old is not in the house with them.

Awful tragedy for this baby girl. She wont be the last this summer either, which doesn't help at all.

jmo

It would be an interesting study for some grad student to survey the caregivers involved, to see if there specific correlations in this particular subset of people who left children in a car, and they subsequently died.

 

[Chelly]

If you saw a child or pet in a hot car, what would you do?

call 911 and break the window.
What would you do?

 

[MsMarple]

Without more information right now nothing indicates the parents left the baby in the pickup on purpose. But the big mystery IMO is how the parents and two older kids could go so long without wondering where she was.

They didn’t notice even as they prepared to go out again? I can’t think of any scenario where all the family members would forget.

 

[Laughing]

call 911 and break the window.
What would you do?

Well certainly not what this guy did:

Police: Las Vegas man refused to let anyone break window to rescue daughter from hot car

Sidney Deal, 27, is charged with child abuse or neglect causing substantial bodily harm in the death Monday afternoon of his 21-month-old daughter, Sayah Deal. Deal's family adamantly denies police officials' account of what happened and describe him as a great father.

www.kiro7.com

GUILTY - NV - Sayah Deal, 1, dies in hot car, dad refuses to break window, Las Vegas, Oct 2020

Father, 27, charged after refusing help to break open hot car, failing to save life of his daughter | Daily Mail Online A Las Vegas dad has been charged with child abuse leading to substantial bodily harm after his one-year-old daughter was found dead in a hot car. Sidney Deal, 27, was...

www.websleuths.com

Call 911. Let first responders respond!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[JosieJo]

You have to wonder if the child was asleep when they pulled up ... and then well I can only speculate ..

 

[Laughing]

You have to wonder if the child was asleep when they pulled up ... and then well I can only speculate ..

but they readied the rabbit for the trip -- but no one noticed that they didn't get the 2 year old ready?

Agree with the suggestion that the older children were possibly asked to -- tell the parent's version of the story imho.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[TxLady2]

Wow, and here we go again. Unbelievable.

 

[lonetraveler]

If you saw a child or pet in a hot car, what would you do?

Break the window immediately.

 

[JosieJo]

but they readied the rabbit for the trip -- but no one noticed that they didn't get the 2 year old ready?

Agree with the suggestion that the older children were possibly asked to -- tell the parent's version of the story imho.

jmho ymmv lrr

I agree you would notice the child asleep..its wether they would choose to leave the child asleep and then change their story ...all speculation

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I don't understand why car manufacturers or car seat makers haven't come up with something to prevent this. I know there are gadgets a parent can buy but no one thinks it will happen to them.

I would think it would be easy to design a car seat that, say, alarms when the engine goes off, until the latch is released. Or car windows that show the interior temperature when the engine is off, and alarm when it gets above X degrees (but only when a living being in inside). Or something along those lines.