AR - Thomas Naramore, 18 mos, dies in hot car, Hot Springs, 24 July 2015

bluesneakers

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How do you forget the child is in the car when you arrive at the home? I understand forgetting the child while at work, thinking the child was dropped off at day care (and I still think these people should be charged). But how do you forget the child when you arrive home? Where do you think the child is?

My nephew once fell asleep in the car after about three hours of being extremely agitated, crying, thrashing about, etc. So we got home and didn't want to wake him. We (my mom and I) were so freaked out at the idea of forgetting him we just parked in the driveway, rolled down the windows, and sat on the lawn until he woke up. And even then we'd still get up every so often to check even though we could see him. At the time we laughed at ourselves for being so cautious but now, looking back? I think we were right to be hyper-vigilant.

This happens too often and tragedy strikes SO quickly. :(
 

panthera

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How do you forget the child is in the car when you arrive at the home? I understand forgetting the child while at work, thinking the child was dropped off at day care (and I still think these people should be charged). But how do you forget the child when you arrive home? Where do you think the child is?
It is beyond my comprehension how a parent can forget their child is in the car, especially for any length of time. Are parents (in general) so preoccupied with phone calls, text messages or everything else they think is important that they just walk away from the car? Is is because these car seats are in the back seat and not obvious when the parent is exiting the car? Every day when going to work and coming home, there are certain things I have with me that I get out of the car before going into my home. Some days it is one of the cats who has had to go to the doctor and they are on the front passenger seat. I could no more forget the cat (carrier) is on the seat and leave the cat (carrier) in the car! How much more so could one forget their human child who is often talking or making noise?

:(

MOO
 

katydid23

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Such a tragedy. I'm so terrified of this happening. I'm an overly anxious and vigilant mother. I'm cautious to the extreme but I'm not about to pretend this couldn't happen to me.


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My mom taught me the perfect trick. I did it religiously and it is FUN. I had a big huge teddy bear in each of the two car seats.
When I put a baby in the seat, the teddy came up to the front passenger seat. My kids even enjoyed the game and loved that Teddy sat in their seat when they were gone.

When you have one or two HUGE teddy bears in the passenger seat, there is no way you can get out of your car and not notice them there. I never put them there unless my kids were in the back seat.
 

meanmaryjean

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He drove to a neighbor's instead of calling 911? Did I read that correctly?
 

Tricia

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Please Everyone,

If you see a post that violates our terms of service alert on the post. Don't quote it and denounce it. Just creates a lot more work for the mods.

Thanks,
Tricia
 

Sweetgrits

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He drove to a neighbor's instead of calling 911? Did I read that correctly?

This is the same question I had. Why DRIVE to the neighbors instead screaming your head off to alert someone for help?Why not walk into his own home or use his own cell phone (I guess he could have left his cell inside)?
 

wendybtn

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Hot Springs Police say they got the call and responded to the residential area in the 100 block of Fairoaks Lane just after three Friday (7/24) afternoon.

We're told neighbors were involved in trying to help when the father of the child asked.

Police had the newer model Toyota sedan with it's door still open surrounded with police tape all afternoon and after dark.

Police released very little information into the circumstances of what led up to this but neighbors shared what they discovered after they say the father of the child had asked for help.

"[The father] had driven home, left the baby in the car, forgot the baby was in the car for about four hours and I guess when he realized he went out to the car," Donny Lodan explained. "I think we're all ... in shock that you just -- everybody always says this -- but you never really expected to happen ... two doors down."

After the father went to the car we're told he drove to a neighbors house for help. That's where police responded.

http://m.arkansasmatters.com/display/11866/story/274d128286dd759dd0301f463be7f2c4

Why didn't the learned judge not want the authorities to respond to his own house? How about call 911, get kid out, start CPR on shady place in driveway, garage, yard until help arrived? Why get in the car and drive him around longer in the boiling hot car? Who else was at his house?
 

wendybtn

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My nephew once fell asleep in the car after about three hours of being extremely agitated, crying, thrashing about, etc. So we got home and didn't want to wake him. We (my mom and I) were so freaked out at the idea of forgetting him we just parked in the driveway, rolled down the windows, and sat on the lawn until he woke up. And even then we'd still get up every so often to check even though we could see him. At the time we laughed at ourselves for being so cautious but now, looking back? I think we were right to be hyper-vigilant.

This happens too often and tragedy strikes SO quickly. :(

I would just take the car seat inside, put it on the living room floor, let them finish their nap.
 

wendybtn

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Make a habit of looking in the vehicle - front and back - before locking the door and leaving.

*As I said, my kids are all adults now but, I guess out of of habit, still check the back of my vehicle before leaving and locking up.

Put your cell phone, purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder to ensure no child is accidentally left in the vehicle.

There are enough preventative measures available that, if used, parents can avoid killing their child.
I vote for a SAH parent whose main job is to take care of children. If both folks are at work all day, using up 75%-85% of their daily energy, what is left after that? I have slept through alarms, ignored sounds for a text message, etc. Nothing beats a loving parent whose focus is the offspring. And I would never rely on a phone call from day care to prevent my child boiling in a vehicle.
 

Kaliste

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My mom taught me the perfect trick. I did it religiously and it is FUN. I had a big huge teddy bear in each of the two car seats.
When I put a baby in the seat, the teddy came up to the front passenger seat. My kids even enjoyed the game and loved that Teddy sat in their seat when they were gone.

When you have one or two HUGE teddy bears in the passenger seat, there is no way you can get out of your car and not notice them there. I never put them there unless my kids were in the back seat.

Very smart! I keep my diaper bag or purse in the back near the car seats now and still double and triple check I have everyone.




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Sweetgrits

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Isn't it sad that we would think to check for our briefcase, diaper bag, purse & that cell phone that grows out of most ears but we forget to check for a child? A living, breathing, human child. It bothers me that our priorities are so screwed up. And this isn't directed towards anyone, it's JMO

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bluesneakers

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I would just take the car seat inside, put it on the living room floor, let them finish their nap.

We were afraid we'd wake him up again if we did that and he'd had a really rough afternoon. That's what I always did with my daughter though.
 

Margo/Mom

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Such a tragedy. I'm so terrified of this happening. I'm an overly anxious and vigilant mother. I'm cautious to the extreme but I'm not about to pretend this couldn't happen to me.




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It is beyond my comprehension how a parent can forget their child is in the car, especially for any length of time. Are parents (in general) so preoccupied with phone calls, text messages or everything else they think is important that they just walk away from the car? Is is because these car seats are in the back seat and not obvious when the parent is exiting the car? Every day when going to work and coming home, there are certain things I have with me that I get out of the car before going into my home. Some days it is one of the cats who has had to go to the doctor and they are on the front passenger seat. I could no more forget the cat (carrier) is on the seat and leave the cat (carrier) in the car! How much more so could one forget their human child who is often talking or making noise?

:(

MOO

The car seat in the back has always bothered me. Granted it's the best protection in a crash. But crash dummies that generate crash data are not human babies. They cannot choke, undo the latch or lots of other things that might happen with a real kid. I applaud all of the memory triggers--because parents are human as well. Clearly a family is stunned and grieving today. And this can never be put right.
 

T4Tide

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It's reading things like this that make me glad my almost 11 month old screams her head off every single time she's in her car seat. There's no forgetting her. ...she came with her own alarm.
 

Saltwithsavor

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I've heard the judge is in jail...I'll post a link when I find it. FYI Arkansas is a great source for info.
 
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