TX - Luke Jacobson, 7 mos, dies in hot truck, Houston, 4 May 2012

[Flutterby80]

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/In...Leaving-Him-in-Car-Most-of-Day-150237015.html

A 7-month-old infant died Thursday after the baby's father left the child in the back of his pickup truck all day while he was at work, police near Houston say.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8647780


"The father dropped off two children at school and went to a conference in northwest Houston and had basically forgotten that he had a 7-month-old in the back seat," said Sugar Land Police Captain Stuart Denton.

 

[JeannaT]

This is SO sad, and it's a problem with parents who have different schedules where it varies who has the children.

When my kids were little I ALWAYS had them. As a stay at home mom, I ALWAYS had the kids, and my husband never did. It's not about loving your kids more, it's about the consistency of knowing that when I got out of my car, I had three little ones in there except on rare occasions.

I think this almost never happens when there is a very consistent parent who has the kids, and a consistent routine. And obviously this never happened when the babies were strapped in a front seat next to the driver. Maybe it's time to do that again - devise a car seat that sits in the front, so if it's a family situation where the kids are with whoever they're with that day, the baby is in the visual field of the parent.

There might be other solutions - the car door won't lock if a baby is in the seat, etc. Because working parents don't forget to lock their cars. They just forget their babies are inside.

 

[momtective]

So very sad...prayers for this family.

From the link above:
Here are some safety tips for parents from KidsandCars.org:

Put something you'll need, like your cell phone, purse or employee ID, on the floor board of the back seat.

Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your car every time you reach your destination to make sure no child has been left behind.

Keep a large stuffed animal in the child's car seat when it's not occupied. When your child is in the car seat, move the stuffed animal to the front passenger seat as a visual reminder that your child is in the back.

 

[deelytful1]

I've heard about these kinds of tragedies WAY too much! What are people thinking? or do they just NOT think?
Maybe if they'd picture they were carrying around a suitcase with a million dollars in it (not that its even near the price of a child or a human life) then they would remember not to just leave it??
I'm sorry for the dad.. I'm sure he's a mess but this just seems like an unexcuseable accident ...
RIP little one...

 

[deelytful1]

So very sad...prayers for this family.

From the link above:
Here are some safety tips for parents from KidsandCars.org:

Put something you'll need, like your cell phone, purse or employee ID, on the floor board of the back seat.

Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your car every time you reach your destination to make sure no child has been left behind.

Keep a large stuffed animal in the child's car seat when it's not occupied. When your child is in the car seat, move the stuffed animal to the front passenger seat as a visual reminder that your child is in the back.

May I add another one?
Put your children ahead of ANYTHING you got going on in your life.. today and EVERY day...

 

[Yoda]

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/In...Leaving-Him-in-Car-Most-of-Day-150237015.html

A 7-month-old infant died Thursday after the baby's father left the child in the back of his pickup truck all day while he was at work, police near Houston say.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8647780


"The father dropped off two children at school and went to a conference in northwest Houston and had basically forgotten that he had a 7-month-old in the back seat," said Sugar Land Police Captain Stuart Denton.

I can understand how this could happen to anyone. Our lives are so busy and rushed. Victoria Beckham admitted this week that she put the daughter in the car seat and left to drop her son at school, got down the street and realized she had left the son she was taking to school at home.
I know reporting this might help people to remember to double check their cars before they leave them, but sometimes I wish they wouldn't notify the world of the family's tragedy. Moo

 

[Lovejac]

I was wondering when these stories would start popping up

Every year, when the weather gets hotter, I start to dread hearing about these poor children.

 

[Nana46]

I wish I had never clicked on this story. I read both accounts and apparently he drove home with the baby in the truck already deceased???? OMG.God bless this family. And that poor little baby gone too soon.:banghead:

 

[Yoda]

This is SO sad, and it's a problem with parents who have different schedules where it varies who has the children.

When my kids were little I ALWAYS had them. As a stay at home mom, I ALWAYS had the kids, and my husband never did. It's not about loving your kids more, it's about the consistency of knowing that when I got out of my car, I had three little ones in there except on rare occasions.

I think this almost never happens when there is a very consistent parent who has the kids, and a consistent routine. And obviously this never happened when the babies were strapped in a front seat next to the driver. Maybe it's time to do that again - devise a car seat that sits in the front, so if it's a family situation where the kids are with whoever they're with that day, the baby is in the visual field of the parent.

There might be other solutions - the car door won't lock if a baby is in the seat, etc. Because working parents don't forget to lock their cars. They just forget their babies are inside.

You used to be able to turn off some airbags-in our 2000 truck you can. I hated when they had to ride in the back in the rear facing seat!
Your idea of a doors not locking is a great idea! How about a system where the car won't lock or when the key is removed from the ignition a beep sounds, like seatbelt beeps, until the seat is removed from the base. Patent that! 50/50 right I have a new niece 3 months old and the car seats now all unattach from bases- you don't have to take them out of the seat like in my days so that would work for the infants.

 

[Yoda]

I was wondering when these stories would start popping up

Every year, when the weather gets hotter, I start to dread hearing about these poor children.

Confession- When I am parking and it is hot out, if I see a carseat in the car next to mine I always check to make sure it is empty. I just started checking again this past week.

 

[momtective]

You used to be able to turn off some airbags-in our 2000 truck you can. I hated when they had to ride in the back in the rear facing seat!
Your idea of a doors not locking is a great idea! How about a system where the car won't lock or when the key is removed from the ignition a beep sounds, like seatbelt beeps, until the seat is removed from the base. Patent that! 50/50 right I have a new niece 3 months old and the car seats now all unattach from bases- you don't have to take them out of the seat like in my days so that would work for the infants.

A weight sensor in the backseat would be a great idea. When the ignition is turned and the drivers door is closed an alarm would sound if there was any weighted item in the backseat. Maybe auto manufactures should consider making this a standard safety feature.

 

[daisy7]

I just HATE reading about these kinds of cases Here's an article about parents forgetting their kids in the car from the Washington Post from a few years ago. Heads up -- it is heartbreaking

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...2/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446

 

[TexasLori]

It is so sad. I admit, when I was working, driving to work I would be on auto pilot. I am thankful I was able to quit my job to be a stay home parent because this scares me to death. I would love to say it could never happen to me, but.....well let me just say I don't condone by any means, but I can so see how it can happen.

Bless this poor Dad he will never be the same. I'm mad at him, and I feel for him at the same time. Does that make sense?

 

[Redbird]

I used to be so judgmental about these stories. I was aware of my child every minute, every minute she was in the back of my mind. How could parents do this? My child is long grown now but a few years ago I had a job that was extremely stressful. I worked partly on commission and having to reach a quota, and the atmosphere there was always no matter how well you did it was almost not good enough. Then they decided everybody would have to work overtime on weekends for 3 months. By the time this was over I was finding myself driving and having periods of completely dissassociating, all of a sudden I wouldn't know where I was for a minute. Very scary feeling to black out like that. A man I worked with did leave his baby in his car all day. I could understand him and realized you could be under so much pressure you could forget your baby was left in a car.

 

[jjenny]

I was wondering when these stories would start popping up

Every year, when the weather gets hotter, I start to dread hearing about these poor children.

There was a second one this week-a mother forgot her baby and that baby died too. Every year -the same story over and over again. People just don't learn. Why is it so hard to remember that there is a baby in a car?

 

[JBean]

So very sad...prayers for this family.

From the link above:
Here are some safety tips for parents from KidsandCars.org:

Put something you'll need, like your cell phone, purse or employee ID, on the floor board of the back seat.

Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your car every time you reach your destination to make sure no child has been left behind.

Keep a large stuffed animal in the child's car seat when it's not occupied. When your child is in the car seat, move the stuffed animal to the front passenger seat as a visual reminder that your child is in the back.

I know this is a little crazy-but I always used to put my purse next to my babies so I wouldn't forget and leave my PURSE in the car.

 

[SkewedView]

There was a second one this week-a mother forgot her baby and that baby died too. Every year -the same story over and over again. People just don't learn. Why is it so hard to remember that there is a baby in a car?

From this article linked above by daisy7:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...2/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446

"The quality of prior parental care seems to be irrelevant," he said. "The important factors that keep showing up involve a combination of stress, emotion, lack of sleep and change in routine, where the basal ganglia is trying to do what it's supposed to do, and the conscious mind is too weakened to resist. What happens is that the memory circuits in a vulnerable hippocampus literally get overwritten, like with a computer program. Unless the memory circuit is rebooted -- such as if the child cries, or, you know, if the wife mentions the child in the back -- it can entirely disappear."

and

There is a general misconception, Fennell says, about who these people are: "They tend to be the doting parents, the kind who buy baby locks and safety gates." These cases, she says, are failures of memory, not of love.

Fennell has an expression that's half smile, half wince. She uses it often.

"Some people think, 'Okay, I can see forgetting a child for two minutes, but not eight hours.' What they don't understand is that the parent in his or her mind has dropped off the baby at day care and thinks the baby is happy and well taken care of. Once that's in your brain, there is no reason to worry or check on the baby for the rest of the day."

Seriously, read the article. There is a whole heck of a lot more material there that will change the way you see these parents. No matter how much confidence we have in ourselves as a parents, it could happen to any of us...

All JMO

 

[TexasLori]

I used to be so judgmental about these stories. I was aware of my child every minute, every minute she was in the back of my mind. How could parents do this? My child is long grown now but a few years ago I had a job that was extremely stressful. I worked partly on commission and having to reach a quota, and the atmosphere there was always no matter how well you did it was almost not good enough. Then they decided everybody would have to work overtime on weekends for 3 months. By the time this was over I was finding myself driving and having periods of completely dissassociating, all of a sudden I wouldn't know where I was for a minute. Very scary feeling to black out like that. A man I worked with did leave his baby in his car all day. I could understand him and realized you could be under so much pressure you could forget your baby was left in a car.

Did your co-worker's baby pass away?

 

[Thinker Belle]

When my daughter was a baby, I would place one of her favorite teddy bears in her car seat each time we traveled automatically. If she was traveling with my in the car I'd put the teddy in the front passenger seat. It's presence in the front seat served as a reminder she was with me and to get her out. Just an extra precaution in case for some reason I rushed out without her. I hope more people heed these sorts of precautions to prevent more of these tragedies.

I have heard many stories such as these and it just so heartbreaking to think of what those poor little ones went through. I do believe once they get too hot, they become lethargic and fall asleep so I hope this baby did not suffer for an extended time.

My prayers go out to the parents. They have got to be devastated.
RIP little one..

 

[SkewedView]

A weight sensor in the backseat would be a great idea. When the ignition is turned and the drivers door is closed an alarm would sound if there was any weighted item in the backseat. Maybe auto manufactures should consider making this a standard safety feature.

According to the article linked by daisy7:

For years, Fennell has been lobbying for a law requiring back-seat sensors in new cars, sensors that would sound an alarm if a child's weight remained in the seat after the ignition is turned off. Last year, she almost succeeded. The 2008 Cameron Gulbransen Kids' Transportation Safety Act -- which requires safety improvements in power windows and in rear visibility, and protections against a child accidentally setting a car in motion -- originally had a rear seat-sensor requirement, too. It never made the final bill; sponsors withdrew it, fearing they couldn't get it past a powerful auto manufacturers' lobby.

There are a few aftermarket products that alert a parent if a child remains in a car that has been turned off. These products are not huge sellers. They have likely run up against the same marketing problem that confronted three NASA engineers a few years ago.

In 2000, Chris Edwards, Terry Mack and Edward Modlin began to work on just such a product after one of their colleagues, Kevin Shelton, accidentally left his 9-month-old son to die in the parking lot of NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. The inventors patented a device with weight sensors and a keychain alarm. Based on aerospace technology, it was easy to use; it was relatively cheap, and it worked.

Janette Fennell had high hopes for this product: The dramatic narrative behind it, she felt, and the fact that it came from NASA, created a likelihood of widespread publicity and public acceptance.

That was five years ago. The device still isn't on the shelves. The inventors could not find a commercial partner willing to manufacture it. One big problem was liability. If you made it, you could face enormous lawsuits if it malfunctioned and a child died. But another big problem was psychological: Marketing studies suggested it wouldn't sell well.

The problem is this simple: People think this could never happen to them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...T2009030602446

*snark alert* Because investors losing a cent or two a share for a few years is soooo obviously more important than a child's life, you know...


(don't worry mods, the article is so huge that my combined quotes make up a tiny portion of it)