GUILTY IL - Giselle Gomez, 1, dies in hot car, Belleville, 5 Aug 2009

[Kat]

http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/873588.html

Friday, Aug. 07, 2009

...When family members found 1-year-old Giselle Gomez on Wednesday in a parked car near Belleville, the infant was unresponsive, wasn't breathing and had heat blisters covering her entire body, police said...

...The family member who left the infant and the infant's 2 1/2 -year-old sister in the running car is in police custody at the St. Clair County Jail...

...Earlier Thursday, Johnson had said interviews with the parents indicated the children's mother had left the children in the car...

...The investigation has revealed the family member left both children in the car to go inside the insurance agency to visit another family member about personal and insurance business...

...About an hour-and-a-half after the children were left in the car, Giselle was found unresponsive by family members, and emergency personnel were called about 3:15 p.m.

The air conditioning was not turned on when deputies arrived to investigate Giselle's death, Johnson said.

Rest in peace little one.

 

[Kat]

http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/873392.html

Another article about Giselle. I wanted to quote some stats I have never seen reported in one article before:

...The temperature in Belleville was 89 at 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, which means the temperature inside the car had most likely been over 100 within 10 minutes,...

...By the time you reach one hour, the temperature rises 43 degrees above what the outside temperature is, so it could have been 143 degrees or more inside that car after an hour," Null said. "That's the air temperature inside the car...

...About 51 percent of children who die when left in the car are accidentally forgotten by a caretaker, Null said.

"You think, as a parent, how can this happen?" he said. "But it does happen. Usually it has to do with some sort of change in routine."

In 30 percent of the cases, the children are playing in a car and they are overcome by heat or accidentally lock themselves in and die.

The smallest percentage, 18 percent, of children are left in the car intentionally by a caretaker because the child is sleeping or the caretaker wants to go shopping, to the beauty salon, to a bar or a casino...

 

[LaLaw2000]

:furious: I acnnot say what I would love to say right now.

Another little angel in heaven now.

 

[bogeygal]

:furious: I acnnot say what I would love to say right now.

Another little angel in heaven now.

I feel the same way, LaLaw2000,

It's so hard to hear yet another child needlessly dying in a hot car. Heartbreaking and preventable, yet it still happens in this day and age. As parent's or caretaker's we have a responsibility for their safety. This is just heartbreaking. :furious:

 

[4Kat]

These poor little children! God bless them!

 

[southcitymom]

Children should never knowingly be left in a car for any length of time and it is sad that some parents still don't realize this. My prayers for this family.

 

[AmandaBrown23]

is it just me or is this getting worse every year?? I dont remember this happening so much when I was younger.

 

[Kat]

is it just me or is this getting worse every year?? I dont remember this happening so much when I was younger.

Here is a quote from the article linked in post #2:

Nationwide, an average of 37 children die in hot cars every year, according to statistics from the study conducted by Null, "Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles."

I don't remember it happening as much when I was younger but I have to admit I didn't follow news like this as much when I was younger.

Statistically 37 children dying from being left in a car, is relatively low. But it's 37 too many IMHO.

I thought the break down into percentages was interesting (I quoted that in post #2).

I agree that something needs to be invented or more public education needs to be done (at the very least) so that we decrease those numbers hopefully to almost zero (we can't deter someone who sets out to murder a child but we can try to prevent accidents and correct ignorance IMHO).

Hyperthermia is a horrible death. To lose any child is a great loss not only to the family but to the community as well.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I can answer that one, Amanda! It didn't happen like it does now! People used to remember they actually have children. Most people weren't stupid enough to leave them for an hour and a half in a hot car! GRRRRRR! :furious: (I think those stats are low and inaccurate, imo.)

I hope this woman never sees the light of day again!! Heat blisters all over that baby's body!! What a !

 

[chesterp]

http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/873392.html

Another article about Giselle. I wanted to quote some stats I have never seen reported in one article before:

Thanks for the stats.......amazing. You read about this quite a bit...and you wonder HOW this could happen accidently. A lot of times the parent/caregiver is wasted.....but some are just accidents.

 

[wonders]

In this day and age I just don't undersatand why anyone would leave a child in a car on purpose ever. It's not only stupid it's just down right dangerous.
Poor little things.

 

[Marina2]

Besides the risk of death from hyperthermia, did the parents ever consider that the 2 1/2 year old might put the car in gear? You never leave a child in a car with the engine running. It's not even safe to leave a dog in a car with the enigine running.

Toddlers love to get their hands on the dashboard controls. I haven't read all the articles yet, but it seems that the parents thought the children would be alright with the car running and the air on. The older child probably woke up and went right for the dash to play. She may have turned the air off or switched it over to the heater.
This never should have happened. The parents should have used a little common sense and realized, air conditioner or not, the car was running and not safe to leave the children in.

 

[southcitymom]

is it just me or is this getting worse every year?? I dont remember this happening so much when I was younger.

We have a 24/7 news cycle now plus kids are now kept in the back plus more mothers work outside the home and take there children to other places for care - I believe those factors contribute to us hearing about more accidental deaths from children left in hots cars.

In this case, it seems that the parents were woefully ignorant of what can happen when you leave a young child in a car for any period of time. It doesn't sound like they forgot, but rather left the child there knowingly.

 

[Marina2]

I hope that whoever this was, family member, mom or whoever, they are charged and held accountable for this child's death. Too often, these parents are given sympathy for their loss and never pay for their negligence. I agree that she/he is suffering but classifying it as a "horrible mistake" without holding the caregiver accountable for a negligent decision is wrong. Until parents are held accountable, these mistakes will continue to happen. It seems that regard for the child's safety is not enough for them to rethink a stupid (negligent) decision to leave a child in a car with the engine running. Maybe they'll give a little more thought before making these "horrible mistakes" if the risk they take is a long prison sentence. Put their life on the line and see if it doesn't result in less innocent children dying from a "horrible mistake".

Imo, this is clearly a case of negligent homicide and whoever left those children in that car should be so charged and punished.

 

[cleo612]

This is really such a tragedy. There is no excuse for forgetting a baby in its carseat or for leaving it intentionally in a car (running or not).

When I put gas in my car with my little 14 month old granddaughter in her carseat, and have to go in to pay for the gas, I take her with me. Even if I just stop at the front door of my corner convenience store and have to walk only 6 paces to the counter from my car, the baby goes with me.

I can't imagine leaving her in the car--even though taking her in and out for just a minute or two is extra work.

I would rather have that minute or two of extra work than to suffer a lifetime of regret.

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

so what's the point in it running if the air wasn't on? i'm just confused and angered by the whole thing! i can't imagine...RIP little one

 

[Marthatex]

It's just sickening!! Anyone should know not to do this; you don't deserve to have kids if you can't take care of them properly, IMO.

 

[jnTexas]

blisters all over the body after an hour and half? That sounds fishy. Assuming the 2 1/2 yr old was in a car seat if it was 89 out why would the air be off if she left it running? you would think the air would've been on while she was driving to the insurance office. this case is just to strange!!

 

[Kat]

blisters all over the body after an hour and half? That sounds fishy. Assuming the 2 1/2 yr old was in a car seat if it was 89 out why would the air be off if she left it running? you would think the air would've been on while she was driving to the insurance office. this case is just to strange!!

That's something I didn't understand either jntexas. You and I know what Texas weather is like, and I'm pretty sure IL doesn't have it like we do.

I have never heard of blisters all over the body like that before have you?

Which leads me to the following questions in my mind:

1. Was this child in direct sunlight for an hour and half and very fair skinned?

2. Did this child have some kind of reaction due to medication?

3. Were the blisters due to an allergic reaction?

Don't get me wrong. Never ever should that woman have left her children unattended for an hour an half. Ever. Especially in a car in the summer.

But the blisters puzzle me.

 

[AmandaBrown23]

That's something I didn't understand either jntexas. You and I know what Texas weather is like, and I'm pretty sure IL doesn't have it like we do.

I have never heard of blisters all over the body like that before have you?

Which leads me to the following questions in my mind:

1. Was this child in direct sunlight for an hour and half and very fair skinned?

2. Did this child have some kind of reaction due to medication?

3. Were the blisters due to an allergic reaction?

Don't get me wrong. Never ever should that woman have left her children unattended for an hour an half. Ever. Especially in a car in the summer.

But the blisters puzzle me.

There was a case locally where something like this happened. I believe that the heat alone caused her blisters.