Three-Year-Old Dies In Hot Car After Busy Grandparent "Forgets" About Grandchild

[pearlychoco.livejournal.com]

A three-year-old child has died from heatstroke after being left in a hot car for nearly four hours while a grandparent was at work, police said.

The grandparent, who may face charges of manslaughter, was meant to drive the child to a daycare center in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday, but instead headed straight to work after forgetting about the grandchild in the backseat.

After parking the car in an outdoor parking lot, the grandparent went into the office. The grandparent later came back to the vehicle around 1:30 p.m. after a board of directors meeting followed by a luncheon, only to find the grandchild unconscious in the vehicle.

The child was then rushed to a hospital nearby before succumbing to heatstroke.

The grandparent whose name has not been disclosed told local police that being preoccupied with the board of directors meeting scheduled on the same day led to forgetting about the child.

Temperatures in South Gyeongsang Province reached highs of 33 Celsius degrees on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration office in the region.

This is a big reminder that to please, please, please do not leave a child under 18, an elderly person, a pet, pregnant women, and anyone vulnerable in a hot car.

Source: Korea Herald

Comments

[jyushimatsu.livejournal.com]

How do you forget to leave a child/pet/other living being in a car?

[scribblyness-x.livejournal.com]

It's terrifyingly less unusual than it should be. There was a heartbreaking but insightful Washington Post article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html?utm_term=.e4666524a64e) about the phenomenon.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

This article should be a must read. It's sad how common this can be, even for aware parents

[suggestivepeach.livejournal.com]

:(

This was such a heartbreaking read.

[tsuyoi-hikari.livejournal.com]

Probably when the victims are asleep at the back seat of the car. :((

[theweebdream.livejournal.com]

I don’t remember bc I was too young but apparently this happened to me when I was suuuuper little. We had gotten home and my parents forgot to get me out of the car, but I was a really quiet child back then so I didn’t say anything. I don’t remember any of the details but apparently my mom eventually came back outside and got me out lol. Because of that I try not to judge too harshly when this happens, esp when the it seems like the grandpa genuinely forgot I’m this situation

[shinychopstick.livejournal.com]

I've changed my views on these types of incidents after reading the Washington Post article linked above (which I really recommend. It won the Pulitzer if I remember correctly). This will be the most heartbreaking unforeseen tragedy that this family will have to live with all for the reason of being absent minded for a second. I worry about this all the time, because it's easy to slip up thinking you've done something when your distracted brain processed it as having been completed and you continue to go about your day as any other. I hope the family will eventually find peace

[dbsked.livejournal.com]

this is truly terrifying.

can not imagine how the parents and the grandparent feel about it.

[blck-ink.livejournal.com]

oh wow this is heartbreaking!! it's scary how easy it is to forget something or someone. i remember watching oprah's episode about this and it was shocking to see how many times this happens. a tip i've never forgot is to always leave your bag or wallet in the backseat. because how bad as it may seem, we almost always check if we have our wallets/purses with us or not

[gdithero.livejournal.com]

this poor family. awful awful situation

i am horribly reminded by that r/nosleep autopiloting story.

[friedchickeneu.livejournal.com]

i've read that one of the best ways to fight against this phenomenon is for the parent or guardian to leave one of your shoes backseat as to where the child (or pet) is because as you you leave your vehicle and realise that you're missing one of your shoes, you'll be able to remember about the other car passenger.

[yxerin.livejournal.com]

reading abt stuff like this terrifies me bc i could see my adhd ass committing the same mistake

[allsugarfree.livejournal.com]

Write it down on your left hand or on a post it note on the window. A friend of mine does that on hot days with the dog ik the back, even if the dog is noisy as hell haha

[xxqod.livejournal.com]

This is so sad. ): hopefully people will get warned more about the consequences.

I want to add that not only vulnerable people/pets but all living beings should not be left in a car on a hot day. In the Netherlands they put a healthy man (in his 40s) in a car as experiment to see what would happen (because people tend to leave their dogs in the car here). After half an hour he was already delirious and paramedics took him out soon after, because his whole body started to shut down.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2235306-experiment-zo-voelt-een-hond-zich-in-een-hete-auto-mens-houdt-het-half-uur-vol.html
Dutch language source

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I don't judge parents/guardians as harshly for this anymore after reading that excellent Washington Post article and having experienced something similar myself. My aunt needed me to drop my baby cousin off at kindergarten whereas normally my brother does it.My cousin was asleep in the backseat so I get to work on autopilot, forgetting he's there and get out of the car and go inside. It took me a minute or two to remember why I had the baby bag on me and then I sprinted back to the parking lot.He was fine but it's terrifying how easy it is for these things to slip people's minds. It's one thing if it occurs due to purposeful negligence but sadly a lot of it is unintentional.

[lulufairybubble.livejournal.com]

There are 'always check the backseat' commercials that play here. It is very easy to forget. To help maybe always keep your purse or what you need when you get out the car in the backseat out of reach. That way you have to look back there to get it. You could even put your phone in the back window and that way you would have to look and go back there to get it.

I dont judge people for forgetting. I do of course judge the 'I was just going to be in the store for a second' people. Had quite a few of them when I worked retail and have busted out windows. This is after calling repeatedly for the guardian or parent in the store and nobody coming up to the desk.

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

That's really sad. Prayers for the family.

[purpleglaceon]

''reached highs of 33 Celsius degrees'' *laughs as I melt in my 47 Celsius* No but for real, this happens way too often, but usually it's the parent itself that forgets. Can you imagine learning that your child died in such circumstances because of your parent negligence ? It's already heartbreaking enough....

[kenziekinz09.livejournal.com]

This happened to someone in my community (left a child in the car who later died) and it’s awful. In their case, someone interrupted their normal daily routine which always involved checking the backseat. Unfortunately people were less than forgiving (lots of death threats and nasty comments) but the situation really showed how easily it can happen to anyone, even “good” parents.

[miss-suunshinee.livejournal.com]

wow ... that sounds tragic

poor baby