topic Re: How Could You Forget? in Community Chat

How Could You Forget?

aj1980 — Tue, 30 May 2023 20:00:16 GMT

You work at the hospital.... hopefully not caring for people

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.

The child’s foster mother arrived at the hospital for work around 8 a.m. Wednesday and forgot the child inside the car, not realizing it until she returned just after 5 p.m., according to Puyallup Police Department public information officer Don Bourbon.

The child was rushed inside the hospital, but couldn’t be revived, Bourbon said.

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.

Re: How Can You Forget?

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:02:37 GMT

It certainly is heartbreaking and unfortunate, but it happens. There are reminder devices now that will alert the driver. IMO, everyone who may have babies and toddlers in their car should have one and know how to use it.

Re: How Can You Forget?

OKPrincess — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:04:23 GMT

I'll never understand how this happens over and over and over again. 👶🏻😢

Re: How Can You Forget?

kaydee50 — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:09:37 GMT

IMO the parent or caregiver should be charged with negligent homicide and go to prison. How can you possibly forget a child? Put your cell phone in the backseat. No one would forget that.

This happens repeatedly throughout the summer. Sometimes I think the parent/caregiver has a death wish for the child.

Re: How Can You Forget?

Runner26 — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:10:23 GMT

What does working at a hospital have to do with forgetting your child in a car?

Such a tragedy!

Re: How Can You Forget?

kaydee50 — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:14:28 GMT

@Runner26 wrote:
What does working at a hospital have to do with forgetting your child in a car?

Such a tragedy!

Well I hope the foster mother wasn't a nurse. Wouldn't want to be her patient!

Re: How Can You Forget?

lgfan — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:23:47 GMT

The OP's point is that the woman works in a hospital. That requires a person who is alert and detail oriented. How can she forget a child in a car if she works in a hospital. It is like an EMT or fireman forgetting a child in a car.

Re: How Can You Forget?

JoyFilled Warrior — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:29:26 GMT

Was this Foster Mother a Nurse? I cant imagine a Nurse doing such a thing. Horrible,sad, sad death for a child, or any living being.

This has happened to me often with a pet I've seen in someone's car.

When I go to *any* facility, if I see a pet (often), or any person, (child, elderly or any person) in a car, I go straight to someone with access to an intercom, to hunt down the driver of that car, PDQ. And I post myself AT THAT CAR, until driver is reunited with the car's living subject, and remedies that situation!!.

I've even been a nuisance, unfortunately, which I dont prefer, for a connection, driver to car.

I havent had to alert Police yet, but I'd even call Police to remedy this, if I had to.

To me, this is the height of "forgetfulness," to leave anything living in a car.

And you're right it does happen. I'm a testament to shaking up the World, until that car person is reunited with the living subject in that car!!

How did no one around that car, not alert someone inside a Hospital that a living being was left in a car?? Someone HAD to see this!

Dying a hot car death, is a horrible, horrible, horrible death, for ANY living, breathing being, incl a pet.

Re: How Can You Forget?

qvcaddition — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:32:06 GMT

People are so sressed out with going on ipad, computer, all the devices, still I'm sorry this happen, but your childen should come first.

I am elderly and this is not OK. I found the computer and phone take up alot of time, but I have that in a day. I notice, I sometime am not playing with the dog, and i,m not comparng a dog to a child, but it is like my child, and I put everything down, and spend time with her.

How can you forget a child is in the car. I do feel bad for her, because she has to live with this the rest of her life.

People, pay attention to your kids and family. Put the devices down. I watch women, not men, walking the child in a stroller.

The women are looking down at the phone nine times out of 10.

I don't see the men doing this. Look at nature and the things around you. Something could be in your way, but you are looking at your phone. IS IT THAT IMPORTANT?

Re: How Can You Forget?

Puppy Lips — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:35:15 GMT

@lgfan wrote:
The OP's point is that the woman works in a hospital. That requires a person who is alert and detail oriented. How can she forget a child in a car if she works in a hospital. It is like an EMT or fireman forgetting a child in a car.

@lgfan What job does not require you to be alert and detail oriented? Please share, so I can go apply for one. This is such a tragedy. BUT, everyone gets distracted. I can see where this happens. One suggestion I saw was to put your left shoe in the back seat. You surely would not walk into work with just one shoe on. But no one who puts their child in the back seat thinks for one second that they are going to forget they are there when they get to work.

Re: How Can You Forget?

beckyb1012 — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:37:51 GMT

We had one happen in one of the adjacent towns of my city back in 2006.

The father worked full time here but was a Reserve Police Officer in the smaller town he and his family lived in. He was supposed to drop off his 4 month old daughter at the babysitter for his wife then go to the police station and drive to another town for a police educational seminar. It was not until he was driving back to his truck more than 8 hours later that he remembered. 8 hours in August in Texas.

He was charged with manslaughter but by October that year they decided not to prosecute. He and his wife had an older daughter and a few years later they did have another daughter. A few years ago a story came up on him about his long time police canine dog passing away. On the front of the paper was a photo of him and his wife crying about the dog. It just struck me hard seeing all their tears in that photo and their daughter and been gone for over 10 years. It was hard to not judge.

Re: How Can You Forget?

lgfan — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:53:30 GMT

@Puppy Lips

I know that every job requires a person to be alert but working at an office job is not a life and death situation. I doubt someone is going to die if you don't return a call within a half hour. I was just trying to explain what the OP meant in her statement.

Re: How Can You Forget?

NicksmomESQ — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:47:24 GMT

I will never understand how someone can allow this to happen. When my son was a baby, I never ever even came close to leaving him in a car. He was first & foremost on my mind,period.

I will admit that there were times I left groceries in a hot car to spoil, but my child always came out first,with me.

Re: How Can You Forget?

Puppy Lips — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:58:59 GMT

@lgfan wrote:
@Puppy Lips

I know that every job requires a person to be alert but working at an office job is not a life and death situation. I doubt someone is going to die if you don't return a call within a half hour. I was just trying to explain what the OP meant in her statement.

@lgfan I get that. But nurses and doctors are human too and get distracted and make mistakes like everyone else. They are not infallible. She was not technically "on the job" when she left her child in the car. She was a distracted Mom, probably late and in a hurry.

Re: How Can You Forget?

aj1980 — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:01:41 GMT

I totally agree with the comment of putting the cell phone in the backseat because you won't forget that, especially the way people are today ....attached to their phones

Re: How Can You Forget?

Trinity11 — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:07:34 GMT

No excuse. And from what I have been told by my friend who is a social worker, there are often unfit people fostering kids. Why? For the $$$$$.🥺

Re: How Can You Forget?

lgfan — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:11:58 GMT

@Trinity11 "No excuse. And from what I have been told by my friend who is a social worker, there are often unfit people fostering kids. Why? For the $$$$$.🥺"

I agree with you. There is no excuse for "forgetting" a child in a car.

Re: How Can You Forget?

Sooner — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:23:22 GMT

There is no excuse for a lot of things people do or put up with or overlook. There is no test required to have a child, and foster care has a lot of known issues that happen again and again.

Courts let known child molesters out on the streets again. Lots of things happen that I can't understand. I pray someone will learn to think from this incident. That's the only productive thing I can think of.

Re: How Can You Forget?

Spacrazy — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:34:34 GMT

@aj1980 : I can't even "heart" your post because this is so heartbreaking. There are just no words...

Re: How Can You Forget?

Trailrun23 — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:36:35 GMT

I have spent enough time in a hospital as both a patient and a visitor...and believe me, there are some workers that make me wonder how short on staff they have to be to hire some of these people.