NOT GUILTY VA - 6-month-old boy dies after being left in hot car while mom was at work, Emporia, 10 Aug 2018

[cybervampira]

Baby dies after being left in hot car while mom was at work

Blondia Curry, 30, is accused of leaving her 6-month-old infant inside a hot car while she went to work.

Police found the unresponsive child Saturday night outside of a Domino's pizza.

The mother of the infant is an employee at the resturant.

The 6-month-old was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Infant dies in overheated car in Virginia

Police: Emporia infant dies after being left in car for several hours

Infant dies after being left in car in Emporia — 4th to die in vehicle this year in Va.

Mom accused of leaving toddler in hot car while she went to work

Va. Infant dies after being left in hot car; mom was at work

Baby dies after being left in hot car outside Domino's Pizza in Emporia

 

[haven71]

How tragic.

How do these hot car tragedies keep happening? There’s been so many cases and media coverage about it...I admit it’s difficult for me to imagine just forgetting to drop your child off at the sitter’s, or daycare, or wherever they normally go. And wouldn’t the sitter/child care facility call the mom to find out if the baby was coming in for the day or not? Maybe not. Maybe they should! Not blaming a daycare situation AT ALL, just thinking of 5ways it might’ve been prevented. The mother is clearly 100% responsible.

I only read the top article linked, which I assume is the most Recent. There is no mention of the mother’s “excuse”. I can’t imagine anyone doing it intentionally (horrible thoughts, but nothing surprises me these days), but I just can’t get the “accidentally” defense either. How do you not notice your child is in the car when you leave it? Even if you don’t, wouldn’t you think about your child during work and immediately realize you hadn’t taken them to the sitter or wherever?

I honestly don’t understand how this keeps happening. It blows my mind and this poor poor baby...just imagining the suffering makes me too ill to think about.

 

[haven71]

*In another article I see the mother dropped her other children off earlier that day prior to going to work at Domino’s. I wonder how old the other kids are? Wouldn’t they’ve noticed the baby was missing, or did the baby usually go elsewhere when she worked?

Maybe it was just a tragic oversight, but it was a HORRIFIC, and FATAL one. I imagine the mother will be charged with neglect or more but she must be feeling an enormous amount of regret and grief. It’s just a tragedy all around.

 

[cybervampira]

I wonder how old the other kids are?

She has pictures of her kids on her Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002912961544

 

[haven71]

I realize I’m talking to myself on here right now but a little more info:

Pinksaw said Curry had several other children, “and from what I understand, she had taken the other children to a different babysitter. I don’t know for sure, but it sounded like there was a different babysitter for the infant. I don’t know if she wasn’t able to find a provider for that child, or forgot [the child was in the car]. There’s some discrepancy there.”

However, “I think she was surprised” to find her son still inside the car, the chief said.

Infant dies after being left in car in Emporia — 4th to die in vehicle this year in Va.

 

[haven71]

She has pictures of her kids on her Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002912961544

Quite a few of them. She appears to be an attentive, involved mom.

Tragedy.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I can't imagine either. I can only suspect that everyone says to themselves "oh that would never happen to me".

In recent years I have become a precautionary sort of person. I have backup plans and strategies for things other people probably think are ridiculous. For example, whenever I get in the car during really hot or really cold weather, I always have a pair of walking shoes or hiking boots in the car. Because even if I'm only going a few miles, I don't want to have to walk that distance in severe weather while wearing flip flops or whatever shoes I'm actually wearing, if I were to happen to get a flat tire or other sudden car malfunction.

If I were a parent to a young child in a backseat carrier, I think I would find some electronic tracking gadget that screams if the two parts get more than 20 feet apart, and clip one piece to the car seat and the other piece to my car key or belt loop. Or something along those lines. But people seem to think they are immune to distractions! I wouldn't want to take that bet on my own memory...

 

[haven71]

I can't imagine either. I can only suspect that everyone says to themselves "oh that would never happen to me".

In recent years I have become a precautionary sort of person. I have backup plans and strategies for things other people probably think are ridiculous. For example, whenever I get in the car during really hot or really cold weather, I always have a pair of walking shoes or hiking boots in the car. Because even if I'm only going a few miles, I don't want to have to walk that distance in severe weather while wearing flip flops or whatever shoes I'm actually wearing, if I were to happen to get a flat tire or other sudden car malfunction.

If I were a parent to a young child in a backseat carrier, I think I would find some electronic tracking gadget that screams if the two parts get more than 20 feet apart, and clip one piece to the car seat and the other piece to my car key or belt loop. Or something along those lines. But people seem to think they are immune to distractions! I wouldn't want to take that bet on my own memory...

Smart ideas. I’m surprised nobody has come up with something like the tracking gadget you mentioned (not that I’ve heard of anyway). I’ve also heard of people putting their purse, cellphone, water bottle, or personal items they need to take into work next to the baby’s car seat, so that they always have to turn around to get their stuff and of course would see the baby if he/she was still there.

 

[AC's Grandma]

I have to believe this is truly a tragic accident. Her children look very well cared for in her FB pictures. The poor baby and this poor family.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Smart ideas. I’m surprised nobody has come up with something like the tracking gadget you mentioned (not that I’ve heard of anyway). I’ve also heard of people putting their purse, cellphone, water bottle, or personal items they need to take into work next to the baby’s car seat, so that they always have to turn around to get their stuff and of course would see the baby if he/she was still there.

Yes, I've heard those smart suggestions too. That's partly why I think people just think they're immune to that kind of distraction -- because if not, they would do one of those things.

Next idea: the receiver of a baby monitor kept in the car, with the base plugged in at work. Any sound from the car heard at the desk. Can't hurt!

Just the ease with which we can come up with these possible reminder methods suggests to me that some people aren't taking it seriously. So sad.

 

[wendybtn]

Jury acquits Emporia mother in hot-car infant death. No charges in deaths of Chesterfield twins.

Blondia Curry was exhausted. She had spent several days in the hospital with her daughter, who collapsed suddenly from diabetes, and was scrambling to find a replacement babysitter for one

richmond.com

This article was behind a pay wall for me but the mother was acquitted of charges surrounding her baby's hot car death in 9/2019.