A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said.
The baby was found dead in the backseat by his parent at about 5:46 p.m. Tuesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
When the parent went to pick up the baby from day care after work, they realized they forgot to drop him off at day care that morning, the sheriff’s office said.
If the parent had line of sight on the baby, would they have forgotten about him?
Serious question: with today’s cars and car seats, radically different survivability in crashes compared to when car seat laws were passed, would more children die from accidents with front facing seats or no car seats at all? I’ve heard about crash tests done in secret showing the answer is there is no measurable difference with modern bucket seats. (Edit: Struggling to find the paper with actual tests, but there was a separate statistical analysis backing this up, and here’s a link to another paper confirming those results: https://docs.iza.org/dp8590.pdf )
The tests were done in secret and yet you know about them? Humm
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Struggling to find the paper with actual tests, but there was a separate statistical analysis backing this up, and here’s a link to another paper confirming those results: https://docs.iza.org/dp8590.pdf
Why in the hell would they have to do the tests in secret? So Big Carseat doesn’t shut them down?
Struggling to find the paper with actual tests, but there was a separate statistical analysis backing this up, and here’s a link to another paper confirming those results: https://docs.iza.org/dp8590.pdf
Because it’s a huge chunk of the labs revenue, and there are other labs the companies would want to work with. Then the automakers who make up the rest of the labs business are now potentially liable for kids fitting without a car seat, instead of being able to transfer that liability to the car seat makers. What is the moral thing to do and what are you incentivized to do are very often opposite.
It just causes far less headaches for automakers to keep the existing laws mandating child safety seats, so the liability can be transferred to other companies that now have a reason to exist, and you have a way of feeling better by spending $500 on the fancy seat instead of 100 bucks on a cheap one that works just as well.
Thanks for the paper, I’ll read up.
God, that’s the ultimate nightmare scenario. Fucking up so bad it costs the life of your child, and it seems like no one will understand how you could have fucked it up and you’re too overwhelmed with guilt and sadness to not defend yourself but to try to make people understand how this could have happened. You’re no longer you to yourself, you’re the monster responsible for your childs death. There’s no way I could live with myself after that, though I do have suicidal thoughts at the drop of a hat
Now imagine if they weren’t your only child.
I’d rather not thanks
It’s amazing how the smallest routine deviations can change things.
I once put my 1 year old in the car seat before loading the rest of the stuff into the car. My kid has always hated being constrained, so I didn’t bother buckling the seat belt, as I figured there’d be more joy in being able to reach and play with toys while I loaded the car.
All went well, we got underway, and upon arriving at our destination I realized I never actually did up the safety restraints.
Holy shit
I thought
If I’d gotten in an accident in the last 30m of driving, my kid probably would have died
What a shock and brutal realization to have.
Many people have complemented me on my parenting, complemented me on my nurturing and caring attitude towards my kid and other children too. I’d like to think I’m a good father…but the momentary lapse I had could have ended a life and ruined so many more.
Yes, it can happen to anyone. I feel nothing but sympathy for the parents who have lost a child this way.
While not every parent who loses a child this way is a good person, people like Lyn Balfour have demonstrated that many of the parents responsible for these cases are good people who simply had a momentary lapse in attention that resulted in the worse mistake of their entire life.
I think that it is not for the public to judge them, and it’s not appropriate to publically shame parents who have been through a tragedy like this.
Those parents will be forever haunted by the waxy face of their dead child, will see other children playing in parks, and remember what their child looked like the last time they saw their remains, will remember how beautiful and vibrant their baby was - and know that it’s their fault that the child is forever gone.
I think that’s punishment enough.
As a new parent… This terrifies me
There have been other suggestions in the thread how to avoid ending up in this situation that I think are good, like put your work bag or purse in the back seat too, or if you’re really concerned, take off your non-driving shoe and put it back there.
Kidsandcars.org does great work too, and clearly the message is getting thru to auto manufacturers too.
My boss has a new ford ranger, it reminds him to check the back seat if it detects weight. There are lots of ways to prevent this happening to you, figure out what makes the most sense for you and go with it.
Also, you’re going to be a great parent. I don’t know how I know this, I just do.
Also terrified of the same with my 9 month old, but you’re right, my Ioniq also gives a reminder to check the back when the driver door is opened if the rear doors had opened prior to the drive. I hope I won’t need it but it is nice to have.
It’s the lack of REM sleep that really fucks you up. Those first months and years are brutal. I suggest making a habit of something that pulls you out of auto pilot. It can be as simple as a phrase like ‘‘close the door, check the kid’’ or ‘‘turn off the engine check the back seat’’ if it’s a habit, it will reenforce what your doing even when you haven’t had a solid 8hrs in almost a year. Also, if you have a partner, it can be a good idea, when possible, to switch night duty on baby so you can recharge, but honestly, it’s impossible if you can ever hear the baby fuss your animal instincts shoot you right up.
All went well, we got underway, and upon arriving at our destination I realized I never actually did up the safety restraints.
This happened with my youngest once. I forget what lead up to it (this was 16-17 years ago), he might have climbed into his seat on his own or something that deviated me from my routine, but as we were driving he said something about his buckles, and his sister, sitting next to me started yelling at me because I forgot to buckle him.
When my oldest was about 1, I buckled him in, but didn’t realize the carseat wasn’t buckled in.
About a mile down the road, I turned and we went tumbling across the car in his car seat. It was completely upside down by the end.
The only thing that kept me calm was that he was cackling with laughter. He thought it was the funniest thing. Never made thay mistake again!
i was a toddler in the 70’s. i was never put in a child seat. i distinctly remember crawling around in the floorboard and watching the streetlights go past from a lying position. i’m glad i have those memories instead of being put in restraints every time i was ferried around. we were even in a car wreck once and i got thrown around a little bit. got a few cuts on my hand and that was it.
but i don’t have kids so i don’t worry about any of that shit.
i’m not sure if there was a point to this other than to be amused at yall for freaking out over everything.
I once lit a cigarette, but it didnt stay lit. So i guess that means that everyone who lights a cigarette has to light it twice…
Except that it doesnt and my experience put me in a minority that day.
Thats why we dont use anecdotes as evidence of facts.
People are right to be concerned about safety when the evidence shows that not being concerned causes more deaths despite there being some lucky idiots out there.
that’s not at all an uptight thing to say.
Given that it wasn’t angry or controlling, it wasn’t actually a particularly uptight thing to say. No.
You presented your personal experience as evidence of fact and used that to act condescendingly towards people who care about the safety of their children.
Just think about that for a minute.
Just think about that for a minute.
nah. i don’t have kids so i don’t have to think about shit i don’t want to.
i don’t have to think
That is actually very clear, no need to remind us.
i’ll bet i have better solutions than you do.
I probably wouldn’t be able to live if I caused this.
I’m gonna add this here in case it helps anyone else.
A friend of mine uses a long dog leash to prevent her from forgetting her kid in the car. She uses the handle end with a loop and ties that end to the carseat and then attaches the hook end to her belt loop or purse. Now she can’t leave the car without acknowledging the carseat.
She just leaves the dog leash attached to car seat all the time and attaches it to herself when she puts on her seatbelt.
I thought it was a great solution that doesn’t involve removing shoes or buying a new car with seat sensors. Hope this helps someone else, or at least gives them peace of mind if they choose this method.
Every time this happens, I am reminded of this Pulitzer prize-winning article.
It can happen to anyone, but a large majority will never believe that. It’s a heart-rending situation.
Having gone through what is essentially sleep deprivation torture when raising twins, I believe this and the guilt would be unimaginable.
A friend was taking a walk with her daughter, she called her from the other side of the street. She didn’t see the car coming though. The daughter ran over the street and was killed by the car.
She couldn’t see the car, because the parked cars were bigger and blocked the view.
An unfortunate accident, but she never got over it. It’s been 30 years, but she’s as devastated as before.
The daughter only crossed the street, because the she called her. This broke her.
Yep, done reading this thread.
The 40hrs are for father supporting the mother not for both to do 40hrs. This is why shit like this happens , they are forcing us to live a life we were never built for. The less working for some one else my wife does the more energy she puts into our family specially my son.
A woman’s place is in the home, right guys? Did you mean our son?
I think the point is valid, but maybe not presented well. When the 40 hour work week was established, the understanding was that a single parent could work and earn enough for the family.
Now, two earners are not just common they’re almost required. People are stressed, wondering how they’re supposed to juggle work and family and chores and all of the other things that need to get done and the answer is that they shouldn’t have to juggle so much.
To be clear: women having the ability to work is undeniably a good thing. Women don’t have to be beholden to finding a good husband, they have options now, and workplaces have benefited from new perspectives. But it also got messed up by capitalism making it the default expectation… More people joined the workforce, but wages just sat still and ate up the gains.
I’m not saying women should choose family over career, I’m saying that it should still be an option today for one parent to make enough for the family to live off of so that the other parent can help balance the workload of life better.
OP was explicitly sexist throughout their comment starting with:
The 40hrs are for father supporting the mother not for both to do 40hrs.
I think their presentation was a deliberate choice in order to make a traditional, conservative family structure appealing to the left. I’ve seen this talking point come up a few times recently and I’m not going to just ignore tbe sexism. Working from home, shorter work weeks and more of the profits going to workers are ways to tackle people being overworked. Sending women home to work for their husbands is not the solution.
In general women will lose respect for a man that is not providing. Thats why I said it.
In general that seems to also be part of yor sexist attitudes.
WOW. Sure he or she is a total fucking retard, but also this is incredibly sad and I can totally feel for the person. I am forgetful enough to have done this, my wife is the brains. I would feel like dying if this has happened to me. My wife would be at my face with the full force of the law too. Shit.
Anyway, just the other day I was playing with the kids near the laundry room and they both hid inside the dryer!!! This became my moment of clarity. Nothing happened to them, they were just playing hide and seek, and I was there watching in horror as both climbed into the dryer and closed the door. I mean just imagine if I had run down to just press the button as I often do. Now, until they can’t fit anymore, I have to check to make sure there are no kids in the dryer or the oven. It’s sintered in my brains to do that.
I just can’t imagine how the parent felt when they parked the car and realized what happened. Plus why didn’t the day care call? Usually they will call if you didn’t bring your kid. Not to detract guilt, just pointing that out.
Geeze scary…I don’t even have kids and now I’m gonna check my dryer just in case…
I check incase cats get in.
If you have children (and your vehicle has this feature) make sure you have the back seat reminder turned on. We all have temporary lapses that usually have little consequence, and this could literally save a life
Killing your child being considered a “temporary lapse” …💀
You don’t think consequences can come from a temporary memory lapse? Please explain?
It seems that my meaning was misunderstood. The term “temporary memory lapse” sounds like it’s downplaying the severity of the consequences ( to me anyway) and putting it on par with, “Sorry I didn’t call you on your birthday, I totally forgot.” “Oh shoot, I left the ice cream in the car and it melted.”
That’s the scary thing about when this happens though, the memory lapse is the same it’s just the consequences are much much higher. You might not normally drop your kid off at daycare so just drive to work on “autopilot”, it’s a rear-facing carseat and they are asleep so nothing snaps you out of your routine until hours later.
Read the accounts of the parents who this has happened to, it’s eye-opening. Don’t think you’ll just remember. Don’t leave it up to that.
