Community Chat

[aj1980]

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.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

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.  

[OKPrincess]

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

[kaydee50]

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.

[Runner26]

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

Such a tragedy!

[kaydee50]

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@Runner26 wrote:

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

Such a tragedy!

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

[lgfan]

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.

[JoyFilled Warrior]

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.

[qvcaddition]

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? 

[Puppy Lips]

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@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.

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@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.