Posted on 06/29/2006 8:59:40 AM PDT by charming_harmonica
A 5-month-old baby died in a minivan Wednesday after the mother apparently forgot to drop the child off at day care.
The tragedy was discovered about 5:30 p.m. outside the Wonder Years 2 day care. The baby's mother stopped at the day care after work to pick up the child and was told by staff that the baby had not been dropped off. She realized then that the baby had been in her minivan all day.
"The mother had forgotten to drop off the child at day care in the morning," said Curt Kreun, owner of Wonder Years 2. "She actually came in the building to pick up the child and then realized what had happened."
The child was in a car seat in the back of the vehicle, according to Sgt. Jeff Burgess of the Grand Forks Police Department. A Wonder Years 2 staff member made the 911 call, according to Kreun.
Staff members had taken the baby out of the van and started CPR before the ambulance arrived. Kreun said he reached the scene about 6 p.m. and emergency personnel already had gotten the word from Altru to cease resuscitation.
"The child had probably passed away a while before she got to the day care," Kreun said.
Kreun, who has been in the child care business for years, said near-tragedies happen all too often.
"I know people who have gotten to work and realized they forgot to drop off their kids and had to go back."
Kreun said it would have been impossible for passersby to see the baby in the van, which had tinted windows.
"I walked around that van about 14 times after they left, and you would not have been able to see in there," he said.
The incident is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but police told Kreun they didn't expect charges to be filed.
"They're looking at it as a tragic accident," he said. "This is by far the most devastating thing I've had to witness."
"There are no arrests being made tonight," said Burgess. "I can tell you that."
The cause of death had not yet been confirmed Wednesday night, but a likely cause of death in cases where children are left in hot vehicles is hyperthermia.
The temperature in a parked car rises very rapidly, even when the windows are left open a crack. Studies show that the temperature can rise as much as 50 degrees in an hour.
Wednesday's high was 79 degrees, so the temperature in the van easily could have exceeded 100 degrees.
Brilliant. Volvo would be smart to implement such a system and enhance their safest family car image.
"Fine idea. Will you help pay for food and rent for the single mom (divorced, widowed or for whatever reason) since she can't work? That would be really good of you."
I do. It's called welfare, aid for dependent children, WIC, social security, etc.
MI doesn't care front ot rear, but they must be in a seat until 4.
I had this very nice post about how single parents and how difficult it is for them, etc. when they reset the network equipment.
I was raised by a single Mom so I know the score.
But if ther are 2 parents, then the kids should not be warehoused if at all possible.
Someone needs to make a public service announcement out of your idea.
So you think that the single mom should receive welfare and stay home?
Hummm! you may want to rethink how anyone could forget. Your car doesn't have a brain so it didn't drive itself there, you did. You were just fortunate that you didn't have the child when you thought you did. :-)
the police should check her cell phone records and she if that was the case. if she was yapping, then some sort of charge should be filed against the mother.
From the story: "The incident is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but police told Kreun they didn't expect charges to be filed."
It doesn't appear that they're assuming anything.
SO that's my problem!
So all those 3rd generation welfare moms are square with you while all us good-for-nothin' working moms are worthless - interesting. I guess I should have given my kids up for adoption so they could have a stay-at-home mom who hopefully wouldn't molest, abuse and/or starve them.
Just FYI, just because we work doesn't mean raising and caring for our kids isn't our first priority.
Such black and white judgements are rarely accurate.
I have 9 kids. I worked full time when some of them were infants. I am not a perfect parent and I have had many lapses of judgement (most of them involving financial decisions), but I never left any of my kids alone to die in a hot car because I forgot about them.
Same here. I can forget what I did a moment ago because I'm often in a cloud. But I never, ever came close to leaving my child in a hot car. I was FAR from being a perfect parent, but this is just unbelievable to me. A little too unbelievable...
BTW, NINE kids? God bless you! I hope that you have wonderful Mother's Days each year. Just think, had you had three more, they could each take a month and make certain you celebrate Mother's Month all year! Seriously, you are to be commended!
I can't think of any worse punishment than to live with the knowledge that you caused the death of your own child.
Just awful...
I once left a quart of ice cream to die in a hot car.
you can't outlaw stupidity, but next automakers will be mandated to make minivans with back seat passenger warning systems.
just a matter of time and lawyers.
No, not when that extremely important thing is a baby, and when you are the mom. That is, if you are a mom who has bonded to the baby.
Ever hear those surveys that claim that a man thinks about sex hundreds of times a day, or at least everry 5 minutes, or something like that?
Well, a properly bonded mom thinks about her baby about 1500 times a day, or every minute.
Only a mom who has an attachment problem with the baby could ever do such a thing as forget [!] about her child in the back seat.
(And granted, there are many things that can prevent a sufficient maternal attachment from forming, such as physical separation of the newborn in the hospital, or placing the infant in day care.)
With nine kids, I'm surprised you even remembered to bring the groceries in. Hungry kids... scratch that. I guess they'd remind you in a hurry! My husband made me the best crab cakes the other night--he even made a special trip to get lump crab. And I forgot to put the leftovers in the frig. Thought I might not live throughout the day after I told him. He gave me a reprieve, but I'm not sure how often I can do that.
I hope you two have read my post about being the youngest of nine. It is great to hear your thoughts on this, as you both are the mothers of nine children. I love that you find this situation unbelievable/unacceptable, it gives me hope that all mothers with loads of children do not neglect them.
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