GUILTY FL - Gannon Werking, 5 mos, dies in hot car, Vero Beach, 23 July 2009

VERO BEACH — The attorney for the woman charged Thursday with the death of her infant child is asking the public for compassion.
“The Werking family greatly appreciates all those who have offered their prayers and support,” Vero Beach attorney Andrew Metcalf said. “I would ask those in our community who continue to condemn and pass judgment to take a step back and allow this family the time to mourn the loss of their child with the dignity and respect we all deserve.”
Vero Beach police spent a week
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jul/31/attorney-for-family-of-infant-left-in-car-asking-f/

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6042618-7.html

With that in mind, the Baby Alert's Child Minder--one of many child-reminder technologies for cars--works by installing the "active buckle" to existing car seat straps and placing the receiver on a key ring. Should you leave the vehicle with the child still in the car seat and walk 20 feet or more away, the receiver alerts you by playing nursery rhymes, according to the product site. The buckle is deactivated when it is unfastened.
You can also order the Child Minder with an

We talked about these devices back in 2006 and I had never heard of them but here they are.
Why aren't they being massively advertised?

 

They've got my compassion. So very sad.

 

I just do not understand forgeting your child in a car. I have three children. I have never ever forgot and left one of them in a car, house, store anything. they always rode in the back seat when they were in carseats and were never left in the car. I just do not understand it? I cannot understand how anyone can be busy enough to forget their child in a car.

 

I don't understand how anyone could forget their child in a car either, but I believe the act was unintentional. I cannot imagine the horror that Mother felt when she realized what she did, nor the guilt she will feel for the rest of her life, outside of whatever legal consequences she will face. Very sad for the whole family.

 

The family certainly has my empathy. It is unfortunate but cases like this happen all too often simply because people are creatures of habit and are not always completely aware of their actions or surroundings. The mind can convince someone they have already done something they intended to do. In my area there was a case a few years ago where a father forgot the baby carrier atop of the vehicle and headed off down the highway. By some miracle the carrier stayed put and other drivers got him to pull over. In my own family we like to remind an aunt every once and again about the time she went ballistic in a department store because she had "lost her son", when asked by sales people for information she gave a full description of him, only to have a dumbfounded sales clerk point over her shoulder to the carrier on her back. Your mind can play tricks on you particularly if you are stressed or distracted with other thoughts. That is why I think precautions like Beyond Belief described are so important, because even those parents with the best intentions might suffer this kind of loss.

 

I wonder if the daycare workers ever call if a child doesn't show up and mom or dad hasn't called to say why the child was not coming? Seems simple enough....

 

Hi jnTexas,

It doesn't appear as if her routine was broken. Please, anyone , correct me if I am wrong. I read the news story.

**OT**
I was "forgotten" once - when I was about 6 YO. I believe it was cruelty, and not forgetfulness, but that's another story.

Earthling

 

I don't understand it either. How do you forget your child? I was a very busy mom, but I always knew my kids were inside the car with me! I talked to my children, sang to/with them, told them stories, and interacted with them as I was driving. What it tells me is that parents today don't do this anymore. Are they on their cell phones? Have their I-Pods in? Music too loud? They are missing wonderful opportunities daily to spend some quality time with their children and also to alleviate the possibility their child will die in a hot car.

It is very sad these parents lost their child and I do feel sorry for them as I would not wish it on my worst enemy. However, they have to take the responsibility for their actions.

I am floored by the variations of those being charged and of the punishment across the country. It changes so dramatically from one case to the next. One mother/father may get sympathy from the DA while the next may spend time in jail with the other children removed from the home. It is time they establish something across the board to equalize this.

 

Mine too. I can't begin to imagine the pain they are in.

 

Sad, RIP dear baby boy, how does one forget thier child?? I raised 3 girls, never ever forgot a one of them anywhere, they were always # 1 , may have forgotten other things, but never ever any one of my children

 

I'm fairly certain this happens - it has happened to me once or twice. In these cases, however, that doesn't happen. I suppose different places have different policies. If a child doesn't show up for daycare, I don't necessarily think it's the center's responsibility to track down no-shows. And, of course, in many cases, the child's not going to daycare.

 

I am so sorry for this family and this little boy

I read the below article, Fatal Distraction, when it came out earlier this year and think it's a good read for all, though very sad

(snipped)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...27/AR2009022701549_2.html?sid=ST2009030602446

 

Me too. No one thinks that something like this will happen to them. It is, of course, a whole different thing than purposely leaving a child in a car, which is never a good decision.

I ache for the parents and, while I never forgot about my child in a car, I have a "there but for the grace of God" feeling about many of these cases - I do "get" how it could happen and I hope to hell it never happens to me.

 

Thanks for this great article, which underscores my feeling that this can happen to anyone. My continued prayers for this family.

 

These are my thoughts too. Employees at the day care would be wondering where the child was; why didn't the director of the daycare or whomever is responsible for monitoring and recording the centre's attendance verify the child's whereabouts with the family? I work as a school administrator and I would be calling a family member without doubt by 9 am. This tragedy could have been prevented if the incident was reported to the supervisor when the employees became aware that the child was absent and unaccounted for. If the centre staff had followed established procedures and responded to the matter in a reasonable amount of time, this tragic outcome like many others could have had been changed. My heart goes out to the mother and family members at this difficult time.

 

I don't understand how anyone could forget their little baby in their car, there's no excuse for that unless they're on a lot of drugs or mentally ill.
I don't believe in "accidents" such as this one, and i'm glad the mother is being charged with at least manslaughter.
So they higher a lawyer who wants sympathy shown? Was the baby shown any sympathy when the mother left the baby boy in the car for 8 stifling hours?

 

I think this will stop happening when children aren't "afterthoughts".

This woman had a routine. Drop off daughter one place, son another place. She managed the daughter part...and, then what?? She forgot she had a son?

 

That baby boy must have suffered terribly. I do not feel sorry for the Mom - I have sympathy for both sides of the family. And the most sympathy for the baby.

This womans lawyer does not want anyone to condemn her or pass judgement on her? Well, I do. I will never understand how anyone, no matter how distracted they may be, can forget that their baby is in the vehicle. Was it a mistake? If so, then it was a deadly mistake. Did she just forget? It wasn't as if she forgot her purse in the car, or locked the keys in the car. This was a small baby, FGS!

This just has to stop happening!!! :furious:

 

The first time I read about these a couple years ago, I thought of something 'No-Tech'. A lg red plastic link you attach to your key ring when you put the child in the car seat. Then back onto the seat when you take the baby out.

No battery, no on off switch. The car seat manufacturers could make them for an additional penny or two and include them in with the car seat.

Something needs to be done, with the attention this gets every time it happens; it still seems to be happening more and more.

My heart goes out to anyone who loses a child, but a bigger part of my heart goes to the child who died an agonizing death.

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