Twin tragedies involving small children left in hot carsAt first I was irate at the stupid parents until I recalled an event a couple years ago while traveling in Michigan.
Associated Press - August 24, 2007 5:53 AM ET
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Police say a woman whose seven-month-old daughter was found dead in the family's car is a doctor at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The father is a research analyst at the nearby medical school.
The baby was found inside the car, where the outside temperature was in the upper 90s. Police say it was a horrible mix-up where each parent thought the other had taken the baby to daycare. A passerby called authorities and smashed the window in an unsuccessful effort to rescue the infant.
Hours after that tragedy, a toddler died inside an SUV near Cincinnati. She was found in the parking lot of the middle school where her mother is an assistant principal. Police say they received several 9-1-1 calls from people who spotted the 2-year-old girl in the vehicle in 100-degree heat.
My wife and I suffered through an entire night of Frankie in pain from a diaper rash we couldn't cure quickly enough. The next morning, Trish went to her conference and Frankie and I went out to breakfast. Get this series of exhaustion-induced moves: I parked by a parking meter, got out to open Frankie's side door and take her out, having opened the door (her still locked into her seat), I realized I was in front of the meter when I should've been in back of it, I groggily got back in the car, started it up and backed up with the door open and Frankie on the same side as the open door. The open door crushed back from the sturdy parking meter and Frankie witnessed the entire event from a closer perspective than she should have. Only $2600 in damage and no one hurt. Could've been infintely worse.
Parents do stupid, irrational shit when caring for their kids and most of it's a result of sleep deprivation. Both of these kids were really young and chances are likely they may have exhausted the parents into a foggy haze. I can't imagine the guilt they'll endure for the rest of their lives.
2 comments:
Agreed. We should all think before we judge.
I think the most amazing thing about these stories are the people that called 911. If I saw a kid trapped in a car on a hot day, I would smash the window if I wasn't able to locate the key holder in a few minutes.
I've almost smashed windows when I saw dogs left in the heat. I think I'd do the same.
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