The mom whose child was left in a hot car
Have you heard about the Bowie mom who's facing criminal charges because her 14-month-old daughter was found alone, locked in the woman's car in the Annapolis Harbour Center parking lot?
Fortunately, the girl is OK, but according to our story, 33 children in the U.S. die in cars from heat-related causes each year. Check out our graphic on how heat stress affects the body.
According to police, the mother said she had forgotten the child was with her and unintentionally left her behind.
It's hard to imagine forgetting your child is still in the car, but it has happened before. Safe Kids USA recommends parents put a stuffed animal in the front seat, or leave their briefcases or purses in the back, to remind themselves a child who may not be able to speak yet is with them.
Have you ever left a child behind?
Comments
Absolutely not. I just don't know how this continues to happen....
Posted by: Holly | July 1, 2008 4:41 PM
I absolutely cannot fathom any mother forgetting a child in the back seat (although a few fathers may be more likely to be thinking of something else ...)
My worst fear when my kids were little was that I would inadvertently lock my keys in the car along with the child, so to this day I still pat my pockets to make sure I have my keys.
Posted by: Dahlink | July 1, 2008 5:51 PM
I know other mothers who've done it -- fortunately not on a hot summer afternoon -- and not in the glare of the media spotlight.
I feel for this mother as she's been castigated in the local media. One particularly sensationalistic report on a Baltimore TV station led viewers to believe that this mother INTENTIONALLY left her child in a hot car despite the obvious evidence she had not. Also, the report seemed bent on making this woman into some self-centered witch who shopped in a makeup (!) store while her child nearly died in a hot car.
To wit:
Police say the mother, Lorraine Fortilage of Bowie, claims she forgot she left her baby in the car. But some aren't buying her story. An employee at “Ulta Beauty” says she saw the mother taking her time looking around the store. (source: WMAR)
How is this evidence that she knowingly left the kid in the car? I think it shows just the opposite. She was leisurely shopping because she forgot the child was in the car. Then to add insult to injury, they interview clueless shoppers who know nothing of the facts but who pile on anyway.
I work in news (not the shameless local TV "news" biz however) and I'm embarrassed by this pap.
Frankly, I've seen more support for child killer Andrea Yates than for this poor woman and it's unfortunate. This is a terrible mistake that could have turned tragic and one this family will live with forever.
Posted by: Mary | July 2, 2008 9:01 AM
I used to think it would be impossible to do such a thing...until I had a baby and experienced the brain drain and general chaos that can take over your life. The worst I've done is gone on auto pilot to work and missed the exit to drop off my daughter. Worse seems unlikely, but I think it's possible.
I think it's the shopping part of it that bothers people. It feels like she was being selfish. If she forgot her under other circumstances and was in buying diapers instead of lipstick, the press probably would have been less cruel.
Posted by: Debra | July 2, 2008 10:10 AM
Please let your readers know of a new product The Forget Me Not Car Seat Monitor This can happen to anyone anytime take a look at www.carseatmonitor.com Thanks Bob
Posted by: Bob Steffen | July 2, 2008 10:40 AM