GA - Jaxon Taylor, 11 mos, dies in hot car, Chickamauga, 5 Sept 2015

zwiebel

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An 11-month-old baby died in Chickamauga, Georgia, Saturday after being left for hours in a hot car outside his family's home.

The baby boy was apparently in a car with grandparents, an adult daughter and another grandchild when they returned from church and was forgotten when they got out of the car. His mom, a nightworker, found him when she woke up hours later.

Walker County Sheriff said the temperature inside could have reached 131 to 172 degrees in the car in 15 minutes. An investigation is underway.

http://m.wsbtv.com/news/news/national/child-left-in-car-dies-in-chickamauga/nnZHx/
 
THREE adults were in the car with the baby, and not one of them remembered to take him inside. How does that happen??
 
THREE adults were in the car with the baby, and not one of them remembered to take him inside. How does that happen??

Because everyone thought someone else got him :(.
 
Seems a little strange to me that nobody checked on the baby for 2 hours, even if they thought he was in the house?
 
Scratching my head over this one. Even if everyone thought the other brought the baby in, where did they think the baby was after they got inside? Totally careless on their part!
 
Scratching my head over this one. Even if everyone thought the other brought the baby in, where did they think the baby was after they got inside? Totally careless on their part!

Yes, good point.

In the cases where the parent drives on autopilot to work and goes flying right past where they usually turn to drop the kid at daycare.... Well, when they get to the office, they think the kid is at daycare. There's no reason to wonder where the kid is. I can actually understand how that can happen. Not that it makes it okay, but I do understand how it happens, even to very loving, conscientious parents.

But when you're at home? Where the kid usually is? And you somehow just don't notice he's not there? How does that even happen?
 
Seems a little strange to me that nobody checked on the baby for 2 hours, even if they thought he was in the house?

I think something must have been off, or not part of their usual routine, but I can't think of what it could be.
 
Fwiw, I find it hard to believe most of these 'child left in a hot car' stories. Too convenient imo, if the child is unwanted or deemed a threat by a family member. Impossible to prove otherwise. Jmo.
 
Scratching my head over this one. Even if everyone thought the other brought the baby in, where did they think the baby was after they got inside? Totally careless on their part!

Exactly. Even if each of them believed the other one got the baby, where did they think this baby was?
 
Fwiw, I find it hard to believe most of these 'child left in a hot car' stories. Too convenient imo, if the child is unwanted or deemed a threat by a family member. Impossible to prove otherwise. Jmo.

I felt that way for a long time too, but then I read this article:

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. A police officer. An accountant. A soldier. A paralegal. An electrician. A Protestant clergyman. A rabbinical student. A nurse. A construction worker. An assistant principal. It happened to a mental health counselor, a college professor and a pizza chef. It happened to a pediatrician. It happened to a rocket scientist.

It's long, but worth the read if you're interested. It's thorough and well written, and it won Gene Weingarten a Pulitzer. Be warned though - it left me in tears.

I think it's possible some are intentional, of course, but it's shocking how it happens unintentionally.
 
Maybe it's just me, but when I have my grand kids I'm actually more careful with them than I was with my own when they were little. With my grands I'm overly careful and check on them every 10 min or have them in the room with me. Absolutely no playing outside unless I'm with them (they're 8 and 4). I'm more cautious now since I'm out of practice and don't want to miss something. I would think this little one's grandmother would have noticed the baby wasn't around very soon after they came in. What about diaper changes or bottles?

JMO
 
I felt that way for a long time too, but then I read this article:

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?



It's long, but worth the read if you're interested. It's thorough and well written, and it won Gene Weingarten a Pulitzer. Be warned though - it left me in tears.

I think it's possible some are intentional, of course, but it's shocking how it happens unintentionally.

I read that article a couple of years ago. It's extremely well-written, sensitive, and compassionate.

I do believe that loving parents can unintentionally leave their children in the car. All it takes is a small mental distraction at just the right time, and you arrive at work thinking that you dropped the child off just like you always do.

I don't have any evidence for it, but I believe that a lot of the unintentional cases are greatly influenced by the car seat situation. These days, babies and little kids are in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car. You don't see the child from the front seat. So when you get to the office, thinking that you dropped the child at daycare or preschool like usual, there's nothing visual to let you see that the child is still in the car seat. If the child has fallen asleep or is just sitting quietly, there's nothing audible either.

I don't know how those parents go on living with themselves. That's gotta be the worst experience of anyone's life, to find your child dead in the back of your car when you thought he or she was safely at daycare or preschool.

I don't understand, at all, cases like this one, where the child would be expected to be there. At home, after church on Sunday, you have no reason to think the child is at daycare.
 
I confess that I left one of my kids behind at church once. It was the case of, Where is she .. I thought she got in the car with you ... I thought she got in the car with you...

Company coming for dinner ... four cars .. two families with kids out of their regular places.

I can see that a family could leave a baby in the car after church. Babies often fall asleep in the car on the way home and are carried right to their cribs for afternoon naps.

I thought you brought her in and put her to bed .... she was closer to you so I thought you brought her in ... didn't you bring her in?!!!

God have mercy.
 
I read that article a couple of years ago. It's extremely well-written, sensitive, and compassionate.

I do believe that loving parents can unintentionally leave their children in the car. All it takes is a small mental distraction at just the right time, and you arrive at work thinking that you dropped the child off just like you always do.

I don't have any evidence for it, but I believe that a lot of the unintentional cases are greatly influenced by the car seat situation. These days, babies and little kids are in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car. You don't see the child from the front seat. So when you get to the office, thinking that you dropped the child at daycare or preschool like usual, there's nothing visual to let you see that the child is still in the car seat. If the child has fallen asleep or is just sitting quietly, there's nothing audible either.

I don't know how those parents go on living with themselves. That's gotta be one of the worst experiences of anyone's life, to find your child dead in the back of your car when you thought he or she was safely at daycare or preschool.

I don't understand, at all, cases like this one, where the child would be expected to be there. At home, after church on Sunday, you have no reason to think the child is at daycare.

I think so too. Especially looking at how incidents increased since the laws changed.

Once I had my daughter strapped into the cart at the grocery store and she fell asleep. I went about and did my shopping and then pushed the cart through at the register, it was one of those where it goes on the other side while they load it back up with your stuff. Anyway, while the cashier was ringing up my stuff and I was mentally keeping track of the total I had this flash of panic WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!! The feeling in my chest... I can remember it vividly 20 years later. It was so easy. I'd just seen her and she was right there but somehow my brain skipped.

Not that it compares, not at all, but it stuck with me. I felt so stupid and careless.

As for how the parents go on I don't know. Do you remember in the article one woman kept the same car? I wouldn't be able to look at the car again, let alone get in and drive it.

I don't understand this case either, with so many people involved... there must be some piece we don't know about.

JMO.
 
I confess that I left one of my kids behind at church once. It was the case of, Where is she .. I thought she got in the car with you ... I thought she got in the car with you...

Company coming for dinner ... four cars .. two families with kids out of their regular places.

I can see that a family could leave a baby in the car after church. Babies often fall asleep in the car on the way home and are carried right to their cribs for afternoon naps.

I thought you brought her in and put her to bed .... she was closer to you so I thought you brought her in ... didn't you bring her in?!!!

God have mercy.

Okay, well.... yeah.... when you put it like that, it sort-of becomes more understandable.

There always needs to be one specific person "in charge" of the child. Even if that person doesn't bring the child inside, it's their responsibility to make sure that someone does. Because when "everyone" is in charge, no one is in charge.

I practice that with my grandson when he's swimming. When my daughter, her husband, my husband and I, and maybe other friends are hanging out by the pool or the pond..... I make sure that there's one of us who is specifically charged with watching the child in the water. If it's me, I don't take my eyes off of him unless and until I specifically put someone else in charge, and I make darn sure they know it's now their job to watch the child like a hawk until someone else is specifically put in charge.

The brain-fart sort of thing when you get to driving on autopilot on your way to work..... That's tougher. There are practices that some people do. Take off a shoe and put it in the back seat with the child. Put your purse or briefcase in the back seat. Keep a teddy bear in the empty car seat, and the teddy bear goes in the front seat whenever the child is put in the car seat. Something... anything.... to make you realize when you get to the office that the child is still in the car seat, and not happily playing at daycare.
 
Three adults were in that car.
Someone was in the backseat with the baby.
And left them there.
 
Maybe it's just me, but when I have my grand kids I'm actually more careful with them than I was with my own when they were little. With my grands I'm overly careful and check on them every 10 min or have them in the room with me. Absolutely no playing outside unless I'm with them (they're 8 and 4). I'm more cautious now since I'm out of practice and don't want to miss something. I would think this little one's grandmother would have noticed the baby wasn't around very soon after they came in. What about diaper changes or bottles?

JMO

I was thinking the same thing. I check on my baby granddaughter every few minutes. I can't imagine going for a few hours and not wondering if she was OK.

I imagine the mom went to sleep since she works the night shift. So I suppose everyone thought she had the baby with her? It is just so sad that no one checked. :cry:
 
Okay, well.... yeah.... when you put it like that, it sort-of becomes more understandable.

There always needs to be one specific person "in charge" of the child. Even if that person doesn't bring the child inside, it's their responsibility to make sure that someone does. Because when "everyone" is in charge, no one is in charge.

I practice that with my grandson when he's swimming. When my daughter, her husband, my husband and I, and maybe other friends are hanging out by the pool or the pond..... I make sure that there's one of us who is specifically charged with watching the child in the water. If it's me, I don't take my eyes off of him unless and until I specifically put someone else in charge, and I make darn sure they know it's now their job to watch the child like a hawk until someone else is specifically put in charge.

The brain-fart sort of thing when you get to driving on autopilot on your way to work..... That's tougher. There are practices that some people do. Take off a shoe and put it in the back seat with the child. Put your purse or briefcase in the back seat. Keep a teddy bear in the empty car seat, and the teddy bear goes in the front seat whenever the child is put in the car seat. Something... anything.... to make you realize when you get to the office that the child is still in the car seat, and not happily playing at daycare.

Now that my granddaughter is 4 months old, and my DIL went back to teaching part time, I bought them two huge pink teddy bears for their car seats. They understood what I was saying and agreed they should use them since they both work now and the baby goes to her parents while she works. It would be pretty unlikely that grandma would not call and wonder where baby is, but still, the teddy bear system works great.

Busy parents need to do something like this. If they had the pink teddy bear in the fron they would have been reminded that the baby was in the car seat still.
 
There were 3 adults and another grandchild whose age we do not know. Children are the most remindful little people in the world! Did this other child not talk? If that is the case, then one of these adults had to get the second child out of a car seat. How would you forget this "left" child also strapped in a car seat?

Sorry, this is one "hot car" case that smells rotten. IMO

I still look in the back seat and it has been ages since a little one rode back there.
 
Sorry, this is one "hot car" case that smells rotten. IMO

I still look in the back seat and it has been ages since a little one rode back there.

Infant car seats face the rear, so you wouldn't necessarily see a sleeping baby when looking back.

This is why we need alarms in the infant car seats. My car lets me know when I'm not wearing my seatbelt, or when I'm driving too close to the yellow line, or when the tire pressure is too low. Lives would be saved if car seats had alarms.
 

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