Several such stories make the news each year. The components are always similar: a baby or toddler, a warm day, a car seat, and a hurried or preoccupied parent. Somehow, the parent forgets the child is with him, forgets to drop her off at the daycare provider, and goes about the day, unwittingly leaving the child in the car.
What happens next is heartbreaking. Left alone in the car for hours, the temperature rising to unbearable levels, the child usually dies of hyperthermia before the parent realizes the mistake. A tragic mistake that the parent will then somehow have to find a way to live with for the rest of his or her life.
Children at Risk for Hyperthermia
Most people who hear these stories believe that something like this could never happen to them. They believe that because they are caring, responsible people, they could never “forget” their child in a car. Unfortunately, this way of thinking, though it may be reassuring, does nothing to increase a child’s protection.
Parents Who Leave Their Child in the Car
Washington Post Staff Writer Gene Weingarten’s research for his piece “Fatal Distraction,” on this very subject, found that this happens to typical people. It has happened to “a police officer. An accountant. A soldier. A paralegal. An electrician. A Protestant clergyman. A rabbinical student. A nurse. A construction worker. An assistant principal. It happened to a mental health counselor, a college professor and a pizza chef. It happened to a pediatrician. It happened to a rocket scientist.” (Weingarten, “Fatal Distraction”, The Washington Post, March 8, 2009.) These are not irresponsible, uncaring monsters. These are everyday people, everyday parents, who made one terrible mistake that resulted in tragedy.
Preventing Death from Hyperthermia
At unthinkable as it may seem that a parent could unintentionally leave a child to die in a car, accidents like this happen about 15 to 25 times a year (Weingarten, 2009). However, recognizing the possibility that this could occur is the first step towards taking the precautions that could save a child’s life. These ideas may help:
- Parents should insist that their chid’s care provider call them if their child is absent, unless the parent has called first. This way, if the child is not dropped off on time, the parent will be notified quickly.
- Parents can place something needed for work (a purse, cell phone, briefcase, or other item) in the back seat near the child's car seat. This way, the back seat will have to be checked before the driver leaves the vehicle.
- The child's diaper bag (or any items needed for the day) can be placed up front in the seat next to the driver. This will serve as a visual cue that the child is in the car.
Each year, children die from hyperthermia due to being left in cars during the warmer months. Because most parents believe that this could never happen to them, they maybe are unknowingly putting their child at risk. Simple precautions can help prevent a lifetime of heartbreak.
Susan Carney - I have been working as a middle school counselor with 6th and 7th grade students for the past thirteen years. I received a BA in ...
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