WA - One year old child of Good Samaritan Hospital social worker and foster mom left in hot car, Puyallup, 25 May 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

In what appears to have been a sad accident, the 1-year-old child of a Good Samaritan Hospital employee died Thursday after being forgotten in a car, Puyallup police said.

The victim’s mother, 47, is a social worker at the hospital with multiple children. She is a foster mother, according to police spokesperson Ryan Portmann.

Police initially responded to a 911 call at 6:16 p.m. Thursday, Portmann said. They have opened an active investigation into the incident, but the preliminary report suggests an oversight: The mother drove to the hospital, left the child behind, forgot, and returned to the car too late.

“Terrible, terrible situation,” Portmann said. “It was a warm day.”

‘Terrible, terrible situation’ — hospital worker’s child dies after being left in car

Puyallup Police have started an active investigation after the child of a Good Samaritan Hospital employee was found dead Thursday. The child had been left in a car.

ca.sports.yahoo.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The temperature that day in Puyallup, which sits southeast of Tacoma, was between 70 and 75 degrees, but the internal temperature of the car when the child was found was around 110 degrees, police said.

The foster mother and family are cooperating with the investigation and no charges have been filed, police said.

The incident marks the fourth pediatric vehicular heatstroke death this year, according to noheatstroke.org, which said an average of 38 children under the age of 15 die in hot cars in the US every year, most during the summer months.

In 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died each year from being left in a hot car, according to the National Safety Council.

1-year-old dies after being left in a hot car outside of a hospital for nine hours, police say | CNN

A 1-year-old child died after being left in a car parked outside of a hospital for nine hours in Washington state last week, police said.

www.cnn.com

*so very sad

 

[mickey2942]

I hope she is off the list for any more foster children. And remove the ones currently in her care.

The sick thing is that they probably won't do anything about it. Foster children seem to be close to "throwaways". They go missing, no one even notices. One dies, oh dear, another accident.

A baby is dead. It wasn't a doll. I wish that there were mandatory sentences for "hot car" deaths.

 

[TxLady2]

How could a person "forget" their baby being trapped in a car? How is that possible? I don't get it.

 

[cocomod]

I travelled yesterday for 5 hours. I brought my little pups with me. I stopped to get gas and after taking the pups to potty, I put them back in the car. They were in there for maybe 10 minutes while I ran in to potty and get a drink. I left the windows cracked. It was around 70 degrees, and in that 10 minutes they were panting and so hot. I felt bad!!! I gave them water and let them out for a bit again. Then, they sat on my lap next to the A/C until they were comfortable again. I cannot imagine what a small child goes through during those long hours. It makes me absolutely sick!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The baby's foster mother and her partner had another child they were fostering, and that child was taken back into custody of Child Protective Services.

Baby dies after being forgotten in hot car for 9 hours in Puyallup

A baby left inside a 100-degree car for about nine hours on Wednesday died, the Puyallup Police Department confirmed Monday.

komonews.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Puyallup Police spokesman Ryan Portmann also told The Olympian newspaper that the incident involving the 47-year-old mother and the child was a "terrible, terrible situation" that unfolded on "a warm day."
Washington 1-year-old child dies in hot car outside hospital: report

No charges have been filed yet in the death of a one-year old baby left inside a hot car outside Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup last Wednesday for almost nine hours.

Police are still investigating, and the medical examiner has not yet released their finding regarding whether the child’s death was accidental or otherwise

Officials said the child’s foster mother, who is a social worker at the hospital, forgot the child was in the back seat as she went to work.

“She arrived at work, went to work, came out, and found the baby in the backseat,” Capt. Don Bourbon with the Puyallup Police Department (PPD) said.

Capt. Bourbon also told KOMO News the foster mother was very distraught on scene and has been cooperating with the investigation.

MultiCare Health Systems confirmed the woman is an employee but would not comment on her current employment status, saying in a statement:

A tragic incident took place at the Good Samaritan campus Wednesday involving an employee and their child. Emotionally, this incident has impacted a number of our other team members. MultiCare has offered a number of paths for support for our employees. We extend our condolences to everyone involved.

“It can literally happen to anyone, and 90 percent of the cases we’ve documented, it’s usually wonderful parents, safety conscious,” Fennell said.

Fennell also added these cases are rare for Washington state, and this is the first case recorded in ten years, but seven other children in the state have died under similar circumstances since 1996. Most of those children are left in the car unknowingly, though some also climb in on their own as nearby adults may be unaware.

“We’ve actually collected incidents that have happened when the temperatures were in the high 50s or low 60s because what happens is a vehicle acts like a greenhouse,” Fennell said, “In the first ten minutes, it usually takes its biggest rise, which could be as much as 20 degrees; if you say it was 70 (degrees) in the first ten minutes, it could be 90 or even hotter and the temperature just goes up from there.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is working with police to investigate the incident and said if they find child abuse or neglect occurred, the foster mother’s license could be terminated, among other actions depending on the outcome of the investigations and the judicial process, according to a spokesperson.

DCYF officials said they are limited in what they can release about this specific case due to confidentiality laws, but also shared this case will undergo a fatality review. In general, foster parents’ licenses are renewed every three years, and caseworkers also conduct monthly health and safety visits at foster homes, according to DCYF officials.

No charges filed yet after baby dies inside hot car outside Puyallup hospital

No charges have been filed yet in the death of a one-year-old baby left inside a hot car outside Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup last Wednesday.

komonews.com

 

[mickey2942]

"If the police find any evidence of abuse or neglect her foster care license COULD be terminated"

The baby is dead. And it appears that this woman can still be a foster parent...mind boggling.

 

[MysteriousNoblewoman]

how does this happens so much in the us? I don’t think it has ever happened here in Scandinavia, even though we have warm summers as well.
How do you forget your baby an entire day? Don’t you have to drop off your baby to daycare before work?
How is that not so ingrained in to your routine that you can’t miss it?
How does the 1 year old not be seen when she drives around, leaves the car, looks through the windows? How did no one see that little poor baby for an entire shift in front of a hospital?

 

[georgiajean]

how does this happens so much in the us? I don’t think it has ever happened here in Scandinavia, even though we have warm summers as well.
How do you forget your baby an entire day? Don’t you have to drop off your baby to daycare before work?
How is that not so ingrained in to your routine that you can’t miss it?
How does the 1 year old not be seen when she drives around, leaves the car, looks through the windows? How did no one see that little poor baby for an entire shift in front of a hospital?

That is a good question. I know that in the U.S., families are very very stressed out. It is expensive to have children, there is very little support, we have a social safety net that has more holes than not, health care extremely expensive, childcare/daycare extremely expensive. Perhaps that financial stress and general overwhelm leads to more auto-pilot behavior?

 

[10ofRods]

how does this happens so much in the us? I don’t think it has ever happened here in Scandinavia, even though we have warm summers as well.
How do you forget your baby an entire day? Don’t you have to drop off your baby to daycare before work?
How is that not so ingrained in to your routine that you can’t miss it?
How does the 1 year old not be seen when she drives around, leaves the car, looks through the windows? How did no one see that little poor baby for an entire shift in front of a hospital?

Well, for starters, Norway and Sweden together have less than the population of California (about 15 million altogether). Total US population is about 335,000,000.

Second, the Scandinavian countries have fewer cars per capita than other European nations (and of course, way fewer than in most American states - particular in states where people have to commute 30-120 minutes to get to work). Americans own almost 900 cars per 1000 people of the population; for Sweden it's 476, almost half the number of cars. For Norway, it's about 516 (so 40% less). Finland and Iceland, for whatever reason, do have more cars than Sweden and Norway.

I'm sure weather and latitude also play a role. The 38 average annual car heat deaths in the US are more in coastal (warmer ocean currents in both the Pacific and the Atlantic than in Scandinavia) and southern latitudes.

Hot Car Deaths - Injury Facts

38 children under the age of 15 become victims of hot car deaths each year. Nearly every state has experienced at least one child hot car death.

injuryfacts.nsc.org

I think population density plays some role, as well, perhaps due to the overall speeding up of impatience, harder to find parking, longer commutes, etc. Washington state ranks high in terms of longer commute times (about 10% of the working population commutes one hour, one way, in a car). Oslo has way less car commuting and more public transport, with an average of 29 minutes for a car commuter.

Traffic in Oslo

Traffic and transportation statistics main mean of transportation, average commute time, etc.) from surveys calculated for Oslo in Norway.

www.numbeo.com

That's just for Oslo, but it shows the issue: we use more cars, we have very warm weather in the states most afflicted by hot car deaths, and we commute further, all of which increases chances of hot car death (through forgetfulness as well as greater opportunity).

By population the US should have 20X more hot car deaths than Sweden and Norway combined, and if we factor in 2X the car ownership, it should be 40X more.

According to non-profit KidsAndCars, Sweden did have 1 hot car death in 2013; Denmark had 1 in 2009 and Norway has zero. SO, it does look as if Scandinavia has dramatically fewer hot car child deaths than the US (2 in a decade for Scandinavia; an average of 250 per decade in the US - when if we had the same rate as Scandinavian, we ought to have had only 80 - but 80 is still a lot!)

http://www.kidsandcars.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/International-Hot-Car-Death-Data.pdf

Having said that, I'll mention that Puyallup, where this tragedy occurred, is in a belt of traffic around the Puget Sound that is immense and slows average mph to around 30-40 during commuting hours, which is frustrating and nerve wracking and complicated by back-ups on and off freeway onramps. Commuting is a weird thing and those of us who do it have to have strategies for dealing with the inevitable times when we're running late.

So, yes, I'm suggesting that the American lifestyle of Fast Everything, over-committed caregivers, distractions galore in the car (what I see on my own commute is mind-boggling some days), traffic issues, no public transport, twice as many people commuting by car (at least) than in Scandinavia, etc. Also, people in Scandinavia get more time off when a child is born and it's my understanding that there's availability of childcare (so many people here have to commute with their kids, because the childcare has to be near work, so that the child can be picked up on time).

Constant change-ups in work routine must also play a role. General financial insecurity is part of it, as well (healthcare worries are real). Mandatory rear-facing carseats appear to play a role as well, although I'd love to hear about car seat rules elsewhere.



IMO.

 

[wary]

how does this happens so much in the us? I don’t think it has ever happened here in Scandinavia, even though we have warm summers as well.
How do you forget your baby an entire day? Don’t you have to drop off your baby to daycare before work?
How is that not so ingrained in to your routine that you can’t miss it?
How does the 1 year old not be seen when she drives around, leaves the car, looks through the windows? How did no one see that little poor baby for an entire shift in front of a hospital?

In your Scandinavian country, is there a requirement that a baby must be in the back seat, in a rear-facing car seat?

I’m just trying to collect some data.

 

[Rosydecember]

We don’t really have good maternity leave in the US. I believe Sweden is at least 12 months paid if I’m not mistaken. My first child, I went back to work at 6 weeks…. Still bleeding and sleep deprived. Awful.

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

The drive to work is stressful, the child falls asleep in the car seat, and once the driver has parked the car and stepped out of it, the doorway effect is triggered and they're focused on the workday ahead of them.
It's sad, and it's not going to get better until we start making changes to both the habits of drivers with children to help remember them, and to the cars themselves.

I'm dating myself, but as a small child I was often left in a vehicle for hours, in all kinds of weather. I'm not sure why it's so much deadlier now, but I assume the vehicles are more airtight so the hot air doesn't have any way to escape.

Maybe cars need to have an external venting system that will keep the interior cooler? Or maybe car seats need to have an apparatus that buckles to the driver so they have to unclip themselves to step out of the car? Maybe key fobs could be made with an alarm that triggers after a short time as a reminder?

Humans are always going to be human, and every human makes mistakes. I don't think asking "how" or passing judgement helps; instead, we each need to do our best to find procedures or techniques that help reduce the likelihood of these things happening.

When my first was born my mother told me to put my purse on the seat next to the baby. I was used to carrying my purse everywhere, and if I forgot the baby I would remember as soon as I realized I didn't have my purse. The same with leaving my shoes or a coat or something else I would immediately miss. I think every parent and childcare giver needs to establish a similar habit.