Mother who forgot baby in car wants changes made to car seats

[Bella]

Originally Posted by Roo

I actually got a little angry when I read the article, bella. The reason is that if there are alarms placed on car seats and they don't work right, then the parent gets to sue the alarm company for negligence if their child dies. It totally removes the responsibility for remembering your child is in the car from the parent.

Well, I am not surprised by the angry reactions of most. However, I still and don't ever think I will ever understand how people can't think this can happen.

I don't know how legally things would work, but would adding an alarm on the seats completely negate the parents responsibility to be a parent? I can't think of legal comparison at the moment..... but yeah the world is lawsuit happy. It goes without saying a parent should remember their child, but my thinking on the alarm was if it's an additional preventative, add it. Honestly my mind didn't even go to the lawsuit scenario Roo.

I'll throw myself into the fire some more and add that I don't believe the mother should have been charged and convicted either.

[Roo]

I don't know about you ladies, but I never remember this stuff happening when I was younger. This seems to be a recent phenomenon- or maybe it's just getting more publicized now? I wonder why this keeps happening? Are young mothers really that overloaded?

I heard a story a few years ago vis-a-vis a friend. She had a relative that this happened to. The relative left her 4 week old infant in the car and it was the midwest and in the middle of the summer. The baby died. She was prosecuted and also lost her teaching job as a result- and also her husband divorced her. She claimed that she was not focused and forgot the baby was in the car due to post partum depression.

[chag]

Originally Posted by DamierLover

While I've been a parent for 30 years now...I thankfully haven't had the horrid misfortune that these parents have or anything close for that matter. I do have empathy for them though. Until you've walked a mile in somebody's shoes you don't know what their world is really like. They have to live for the rest of their lives without their child. If they believe that alarms on infant seats will prevent just one person from having to share their agony, then their ideas should not be dismissed as foolish.

Quote:

Well, I am not surprised by the angry reactions of most. However, I still and don't ever think I will ever understand how people can't think this can happen. I don't know how legally things would work, but would adding an alarm on the seats completely negate the parents responsibility to be a parent? I can't think of legal comparison at the moment..... but yeah the world is lawsuit happy. It goes without saying a parent should remember their child, but my thinking on the alarm was if it's an additional preventative, add it. Honestly my mind didn't even go to the lawsuit scenario Roo. I'll throw myself into the fire some more and add that I don't believe the mother should have been charged and convicted either.

Very very surprised there aren't more comments like these(If I missed others I apologize). Even I admit I've been victim to too many things on the brain. Forgotten something or entirely missed something I was supposed to do. Thank God in Heaven it was never a child but I can't even begin to imagine the sadness on this families hearts I'd have to say the loss of a child just beginning to walk and beginning a very special time in her parents hearts and memories is punishment enough and thankfully the mother is trying to prevent it from happening to anyone else is a great thing. Hopefully more good than bad will come out of this tragedy.

[kroquet]

^^I agree. I don't remember this happening in the past so much. I do think that parents should be held accountable, though. Being stressed or busy is not an excuse as far as I am concerned. If you forgot to feed your child, it would be neglect and it's the same as forgetting your child in the car.

[Bella]

All kinds of people have proven to be capable of it, including "absolute doting parents," says Janette Fennell, a former San Francisco resident who tracks similar deaths for her Kansas nonprofit group, Kids and Cars.

It started happening in the early 1990s, Fennell says, when laws were passed requiring that infants be placed in the backseats of cars - and turned to the rear - as a way to prevent airbag injuries.

Fennell says the same simple factors are often at work with parents who forget their children: exhaustion, work stress, routine change or different commute.

"Under the right circumstances, or the wrong circumstances, it could happen to anybody," Fennell says.

[Jesskaz]

My dad is in insurance and many years ago he had a client who left their baby in the carseat on the roof of the car, like a cup of coffee, and drove off.

A momentary lapse that became an unimaginable tragedy.

[chag]

Originally Posted by Roo

I don't know about you ladies, but I never remember this stuff happening when I was younger. This seems to be a recent phenomenon- or maybe it's just getting more publicized now? I wonder why this keeps happening? Are young mothers really that overloaded? I heard a story a few years ago vis-a-vis a friend. She had a relative that this happened to. The relative left her 4 week old infant in the car and it was the midwest and in the middle of the summer. The baby died. She was prosecuted and also lost her teaching job as a result- and also her husband divorced her. She claimed that she was not focused and forgot the baby was in the car due to post partum depression.

From the story:
All kinds of people have proven to be capable of it, including "absolute doting parents," says Janette Fennell, a former San Francisco resident who tracks similar deaths for her Kansas nonprofit group, Kids and Cars.

It started happening in the early 1990s, Fennell says, when laws were passed requiring that infants be placed in the backseats of cars - and turned to the rear - as a way to prevent airbag injuries.

Fennell says the same simple factors are often at work with parents who forget their children: exhaustion, work stress, routine change or different commute.

"Under the right circumstances, or the wrong circumstances, it could happen to anybody," Fennell says.

I can remember my daughter falling completely asleep many times in the car. Not a peep. Fortunately I didn't work so it was just store home or relatives or doctor appointments but yes I can definitely see young working mothers with as much stress as they have nowadays going through something as horrible as this

[chag]

Also a very good reason to take preventative measures with car seats

[Vegas Long Legs]

Yes, exactly Roo. This was something we never heard of happening when I was young. It seems like it started occuring with regularity in the 90's & has exploded in the past decade.

Every single summer this happens in Las Vegas, a few times! It get over 120 degrees here sometimes in July & August. They constantly say on TV & radio, check your car make sure your kids are out. And low & behold, it happens again! Do you think it happens during the rest of the year too but because the weather is pleasant the child is unharmed? How can it just occur in the summer?

If I was a business that made baby seats, I wouldn't take on making one with an alarm. Because of lawsuits, their in house attorneys would probably recommend they don't. We live in a litigious society where people will push blame onto others if they can get away with it.

OK someone said early 90's when kids were put in the back in childseats. Theres a reason why it started to happen. Now what can be done about it. What does a parent have to do to take responsiblity & be able to remember their own child is in the car?

No one is saying they aren't sympathic to these parents. Yes, it would be a horrible thing to live with. But we can't pass the responsiblity to something that can also fail, like an alarm.

[Roo]

^^ Right, so we KNOW the reason, it's because of airbags...

I just don't get it. Like a previous poster said, she probably didn't forget her purse in the car....

[kroquet]

Vegas, I wouldn't either. A lawsuit just waiting to happen. I will probably get flamed for this, but I think society has learned to always put the blame on someone else, rather than take responsibility for their own actions. I've got a 6 yr old GS and my DD has NEVER left him in the car and believe me, she has had her stressful times, but she always thinks of him first.

[HauteMama]

I understand the desire to want to prevent this from happening. No one wants to see this happen to anyone again, ever. But I really do have to wonder if parents could blame or sue the carseat company. It is rather like the warning stickers on chainsaws that state, "Do not stop blade with hands or genitals". Or the bath seats with the suction cups on the bottom that were recalled because they could come unstuck. Well, duh, with enough movement any suction cups can come unstuck, but the point is that a parent should NEVER leave a child unattended in the tub, seat or no seat! The stupidity of people is just never-ending and products cannot prevent deaths from negligence. People need to act responsibly, no matter what product they think is protecting them.

And I agree that I've been overloaded and have forgotten things, too, especially after becoming a parent. However, I usually forget other things because I have been too focused on my child; never once have I forgotten my child was in the vehicle because of other things. Again, it comes down to priorities. I really doubt that anyone would forget to remove a stack of $100 bills from their backseat when they stopped the car, as they know the money could be stolen. Yet people either accidentally or willingly leave a baby in a car when they go to work or need to pay at a gas station. I just think those priorities are incredibly messed up.

[Vegas Long Legs]

A car seat business is going to weigh out statistically the risk/reward of a car alarm seat. To take on ONE lawsuit could wipe out whatever profit they made off a seat for years. Never mind the bad press, & the stress!
The outrage the jury might feel for the parents who lost a child cause the alarm didn't work could be in the hundreds of millions. As a business owner, sorry not worth it to me to take this on.

If this lady want this, by all means she should look into starting her own business.

[chag]

If I were this lady I would do it. And as a multiple business owner with one business that supplies child saftey kits to government agencies I would say it's a good bet

[kattykay]

How about the parents just take responsibility for their kids? Not to sound harsh but if you cant remember to take your kid out of the car then mybe you shouldnt have these kids to begin with. I love my little nieces and anytime I can, I take them places. One is only a year old and there is no way I could ever miss her car seat in the back seat of my truck. First off those things are huge, and you would have to be blind to miss them in the back, especially if you are going into the back to get something else.
When my sister leaves for work its 7:30 am, she get up at 6:45 to get ready for work (shes a dental hygenist so not much involved besides scrubs and some makup) so she may be tired as hell, especially waking up all night long with the little one, but there is no way in hell she would forget them in her car. Most of the time they fall asleep on the way to school so they are silent anyway.
Im sorry but this really angers me, freaking take responsibilty for your actions! Admit you were wrong and move on. Im not trying to sound like an un-sympahthetic bitch because I do feel bad for the parents. No one should have to bury their children, but its kind of your fault if you leave your child in the car and forget about them.

One question, how would these alarms work? If I have my niece in the backseat and we are going to the beach, stuck in benny traffic, would this alarm be going off? That would just be annoying.