Doctor sues after being arrested while saving baby in hot car

Oblio

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The baby had been in the car for about 20 minutes. Firefighters were trying to use a “Slim Jim” to open the locked door, but it was unsuccessful.

Dr. Williams told the firefighters they needed to break the vehicle’s window to free the baby.

According to the lawsuit, the baby’s mother pleaded with the doctor to break the glass of the car window when it did not appear the firemen were going to open the door.

Dr. Williams got a hammer from her office and returned to the car to break the front passenger window of the vehicle.


http://www.wkrn.com/story/26015143/doctor-trying-to-save-baby-in-hot-car-sues-after-arrest
 
That is just insane. Sometimes it irks me to no end when the police don't use common sense.
 
Pyle (the officer who I refuse to address as such) should have been disciplined. I hope that IF Dr. Williams settles, she will request, as part of the settlement agreement, that Pyle has at least a disciplinary action on his file. Without that - an acknowledgement of wrong-doing on the part of Pyle - I wouldn't settle - no way!
 
(BTW, this baby-locked-in-hot-car event occurred in May 2012)

Mom accidentally locked 8 day old baby in hot car.
Mom phoned for help and firefighters responded to scene.
Mom knew baby had been in car about 20 min.
Mom watched FFs struggling w slimjim to open car door.
Mom saw Dr fetch hammer and return w it ready to break window.
(Is it poss LE or FFs thought unknown-to-them-at-the-time-Dr was whacked out, ready to use hammer on Mom, LE or FFs themselves?)
Mom pleaded for doc to break the window.

Puzzling that Mom did not try breaking a window herself. Her car, her baby.
In any case, glad that baby is apparently okay.
Shame that the doc was injured.
 
(BTW, this baby-locked-in-hot-car event occurred in May 2012)

Mom accidentally locked 8 day old baby in hot car.
Mom phoned for help and firefighters responded to scene.
Mom knew baby had been in car about 20 min.
Mom watched FFs struggling w slimjim to open car door.
Mom saw Dr fetch hammer and return w it ready to break window.
(Is it poss LE or FFs thought unknown-to-them-at-the-time-Dr was whacked out, ready to use hammer on Mom, LE or FFs themselves?)
Mom pleaded for doc to break the window.

Puzzling that Mom did not try breaking a window herself. Her car, her baby.
In any case, glad that baby is apparently okay.
Shame that the doc was injured.
Or why the FF's didn't take the Dr's hammer and break the window.
 
I read about this yesterday, from what I gathered from the news, this happened a couple of years ago..Thank GoodNess Tennessee just passed a law that you can break a window.

The City Council if I remember right was to vote on a settlement for this Doctor for $99,000.

Of course nothing has happened to the Officier.
 
That is just insane. Sometimes it irks me to no end when the police don't use common sense.

Mom locked her baby in her car (ok, by accident).

Respectfully, could mom have used common sense to rescue her baby from her car?
Seems possible to me.

If ppl say - LE should have done its job, is it unreasonable to say - mom should have done hers?

In any case, glad that baby was okay.
 
Mom locked her baby in her car (ok, by accident).

Respectfully, could mom have used common sense to rescue her baby from her car?
Seems possible to me.

If ppl say - LE should have done its job, is it unreasonable to say - mom should have done hers?

In any case, glad that baby was okay.

So, what "common sense" should mom have used? Accidents happen. She immediately called emergency services. I'm not sure what you expect her to have done here to facilitate a rescue.

The article states that the doctor wasn't able to break the window - she went to the window firefighters directed her to, but was then assaulted by the officer. Firefighters ended up breaking the window, so I really don't know why the officer acted as he did. And the doctor ended up injured because of it. The officer really should have been fired.
 
So, what "common sense" should mom have used? Accidents happen. She immediately called emergency services. I'm not sure what you expect her to have done here to facilitate a rescue.

The article states that the doctor wasn't able to break the window - she went to the window firefighters directed her to, but was then assaulted by the officer. Firefighters ended up breaking the window, so I really don't know why the officer acted as he did. And the doctor ended up injured because of it. The officer really should have been fired.

ITA. If firefighters tried to get the baby out and couldn't for a while, then mom's "common sense" wouldn't get the baby out either.
It's not understandable to me either why the officer arrested the doctor. Obviously the baby needed to come out of the car ASAP, and the doctor was only trying to help.
 
So, what "common sense" should mom have used? Accidents happen. She immediately called emergency services. I'm not sure what you expect her to have done here to facilitate a rescue.

The article states that the doctor wasn't able to break the window - she went to the window firefighters directed her to, but was then assaulted by the officer. Firefighters ended up breaking the window, so I really don't know why the officer acted as he did. And the doctor ended up injured because of it. The officer really should have been fired.

BBM 1:
Could Mom have -
- asked the doc (who returned to lot, from office) for the hammer so she could have broken the window herself?
- picked up loose block from retaining wall (see pix) and used that to break car window?
- located another item (a rock from parking lot or a tire iron from bystander's car) to break window?
Seems straightforward, but maybe not.
4205585_G.jpg


BBM 2:
Link does not say doc was unable to break window.
I wonder if FF told her to break window on other side for baby's safety.

"Firefighters were trying to use a “Slim Jim” to open the locked door, but it was unsuccessful.
Dr. Williams told the firefighters they needed to break the vehicle’s window to free the baby.
According to the lawsuit, the baby’s mother pleaded with the doctor to break the glass of the car window when it did not appear the firemen were going to open the door.

Dr. Williams got a hammer from her office and returned to the car to break the front passenger window of the vehicle.
The lawsuit states a fireman told her to break the window on the driver side of the vehicle.
She went to the other side of the vehicle to do that, but before she could break the window Dr. Williams stated Officer Michael Pyle grabbed her from behind."
http://www.wkrn.com/story/26015143/doctor-trying-to-save-baby-in-hot-car-sues-after-arrest

JM2cts.
 
It's puzzling (imo) that LE, FF, or EMT folks at scene did not have a resQme or lifehammer tool like this, in their gearbags.

41TT4CQ9VYL._SP160,160,0,T_.jpg

or this

41e4bkwXfqL._SX385_.jpg


From amazon's product description re resQme:
"...Tool is ideal for car entrapment scenarios (including water submersion, rollovers, fire, and more) with two main features that can potentially save your life. The resqme can 1) cut jammed seat belts, and 2) break side windows that won’t open in the case of power failure or locked doors. Assist passengers and other motorists in danger....". BBM

Some depts issue these or similar tools to first responders.
Different brands, different sizes (keychain and larger), etc. range from $8 to 20, USD.

On another board I visit, non-first responders report keychain-carrying one of these tools
and keeping one inside each car/vehicle.

Also moms or drivers can carry a spare car door key (maybe without remote or chip) in their billfolds/purse.
Doesn't always help, as -
- some ppl leave billfold/purse in car and manage to lock it in,
- some new-ish cars open only w remote or chip, not w key.

Could help some folks save innocent lives. JM2cts.
 
BBM 2:
Link does not say doc was unable to break window.
I wonder if FF told her to break window on other side for baby's safety.

"Firefighters were trying to use a “Slim Jim” to open the locked door, but it was unsuccessful.
Dr. Williams told the firefighters they needed to break the vehicle’s window to free the baby.
According to the lawsuit, the baby’s mother pleaded with the doctor to break the glass of the car window when it did not appear the firemen were going to open the door.

Dr. Williams got a hammer from her office and returned to the car to break the front passenger window of the vehicle.
The lawsuit states a fireman told her to break the window on the driver side of the vehicle.
She went to the other side of the vehicle to do that, but before she could break the window Dr. Williams stated Officer Michael Pyle grabbed her from behind."
http://www.wkrn.com/story/26015143/doctor-trying-to-save-baby-in-hot-car-sues-after-arrest

JM2cts.

Doc "wasn't able" to break the window because the cop interfered. That's exactly what the article said and what I said. Doc attempted to break window but was not able to because of interference by the cop.

<modsnip>
 
My solution to locking keys in the car is using a coiled key ring. As I turn the ignition off, I slip my wrist thru the key ring, so the keys are now on my wrist and I cannot lay them down! Has worked perfectly for years!

Don't have any ideas about the newer cars with a start button. I bought my car one year before they came out.
 
.... And I find your "common sense" suggestions ludicrous.

My first post acknowledged locking baby in car was accidental and asked if mom could have used common sense to rescue baby.
A post responded, "I'm not sure what you expect her to have done here to facilitate a rescue."

My later post listed specific actions mom herself could have taken -
using on-the-scene items (doc's hammer, block from retaining wall, or other object) -
to break window to rescue her 8 d/o baby locked in hot car.

"Ludicrous" I was told. People are welcome to brand ideas using readily-available items
for saving a baby's life as ludicrous, if they like.

Linked article states, "The firefighters eventually broke out the window of the mother&#8217;s vehicle to free her infant daughter."
Is the item FFs used one that mom herself could have used? That day, in that specific scene, to save her baby?

Looking forward to reading alternative easy and effective suggestions mom could have used there or in the future.

Wishing nobody would be faced w crisis of having baby locked in hot (or cold) car. Sigh.
 
My solution to locking keys in the car is using a coiled key ring. As I turn the ignition off, I slip my wrist thru the key ring, so the keys are now on my wrist and I cannot lay them down! Has worked perfectly for years!

Don't have any ideas about the newer cars with a start button. I bought my car one year before they came out.

1&2&3,
A coiled key ring. Like an old fashioned telephone cord fashioned into a bracelet, like this?
th


Hey, that's a terrific idea. Good for you.
TYVM for this safety measure.
 
Or why the FF's didn't take the Dr's hammer and break the window.

Firefighters have an axe on board; they don't need to borrow people's hammers.

(Why do I have the feeling that even after I read this article it won't make sense?) ;)
 
I do think the suggestion to wrench free a brick from the landscaping to smash the window to be unrealistic. And how was she supposed to know that the doctor's office had a hammer? That's not an item usually kept at medical offices.

She did what people are told to do in situations like this and called emergency services. The doctor happened upon the scene and produced the hammer after firefighters were unable to open the door via other methods.

It's not "common sense" to throw a brick through a window. It's not common sense to assume that a doctor's office would have a hammer or an axe or some other implement not normally used in their business to break the window. It's common sense to call emergency services when something like this happens and I stand by my original post.
 
AnaTeresa, you stated my ideas were "not common sense." I think we each pinpointed mom's options & C/S at different times in incident.
- Before first responders & doc arrived, those ideas may not have been common sense.
- Later after FFs arrived and triedto slim-jim unsuccessfully, and LE prevented doc from breaking glass......
well,
what mother would stand there & not grab hammer herself to break glass after others' actions did not rescue baby?

Not criticizing this mom, just saying she could have taken other measures herself to save her baby in her car.
There's lots of information we're not privy to, and I may be wrong. In any case, glad the baby was rescued and apparently okay.


And
I do think the suggestion to wrench free a brick from the landscaping to smash the window to be unrealistic.
Agreeing, if blocks/bricks were mortared in retaining wall so had to be wrenched free, 'wrenching free' w/b unrealistic.
From pix, imo, appears some blocks/bricks were not mortared in wall, c/h/bn grabbed & used. Not unrealistic.

And how was she supposed to know that the doctor's office had a hammer? That's not an item usually kept at medical offices.
Agreeing that mom w/not know hammer was available at doc's office, until doc brought it to car.
After doc appeared w hammer, mom could have asked doc to lend hammer so mom herself could have used it to break window.
Would mom have reason to think doc's glass breaking skills were better than hers?

She did what people are told to do in situations like this and called emergency services. The doctor happened upon the scene and produced the hammer after firefighters were unable to open the door via other methods.
I agree w you, first call 911.

Later after FFs arrived, failed to open door, then mom could have taken action herself, including using a loose brick or doc's hammer.

It's not "common sense" to throw a brick through a window.
Agreeing, but my post did not say "throw a brick."

It's not common sense to assume that a doctor's office would have a hammer
or an axe or some other implement not normally used in their business to break the window.
Agreeing it's not C/S for mom or anyone to assume above.
Later after doc brought hammer to scene, I think,using C/Smom could have asked doc for hammer.

If FFs had been summoned to put out a car fire (with no baby involved), I would not suggest mom grab FF gear to commander rescue.

It's common sense to call emergency services when something like this happens
Agreeing.
and I stand by my original post.
Welcome to do so. I think we're each focusing on what's common sense at different points in the event.
.

Mods and others, sorry for going so far O/T in this and earlier posts.
 
Seems to me the only one lacking common sense in the situation is Officer Pyle.
 

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