General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFather Charged with Murder in Death of Toddler Left in Car.
We hear about them every year.
The man who left his child in a hot car Wednesday has been charged with murder.
Justin Ross Harris was charged with felony murder and cruelty to children in the first degree. He was being held with no bond Thursday.
According to Cobb County police, Harris was supposed to take his 22-month-old to day care around 8:30 a.m. Police said the father forgot and left his child inside his vehicle while he went to work.
"Apparently, he forgot the child was in the car seat in the back of the automobile and went to work, left work sometime around 4 or 4:15," said Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb County Police Department.
Dale Hamilton witnessed the emotional scene as a father realized that his child was in the car.
After leaving work and making the discovery, the father pulled into Akers Mill Square near Cumberland Mall.
"Laid his son on the ground, started doing CPR trying to resuscitate him. Apparently the child wasn't responding," Hamilton said.
Police said the man had to be physically restrained once it became clear his child was gone.
"There were a number of witnesses, passersby in the area who observed basically the father in a very distressed moment," Pierce said.
"He kept saying, What have I done? What have I done? And that's all that I could ascertain that he was saying," Hamilton said.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Link: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/father-who-left-child-hot-car-charged-murder/ngNzp/
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Are we 100% sure that not having the kids in the front seat is better? Perhaps a better car seat for the front seat? I feel for this father. I know he was wrong, but murder?
tosh
(4,424 posts)Child seat in back of car...might be part of the reason this happens so often.
Plus, we (collectively) are so mentally "busy" juggling so many different things in our heads all the time to the point of absent-mindedness where auto-pilot takes over.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)It should be possible to detect the changing CO2 concentration, along with the fact that the car is heating up and not running. Of course it would have to be some kind of very specific and identifiable alarm so people did not just ignore it.
surrealAmerican
(11,367 posts)It might not even have to be something so involved as that. A simple alarm built into the child's car seat could prevent this sort of tragedy.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)So maybe a inside motion and air detector in the car that sounds an alarm that says living being inside and calls your cell phone. This father should be punished, but murder is too harsh IMO. It wasn't like he was at a bar or partying and was a bad father.
jmowreader
(50,580 posts)There's a specified place to put child seats in newer cars. Build a strain gage under it, and tie it to the car's computer. You would tare-out the seat upon installation. When you put a kid in the seat it would know; when you shut off the engine the car would speak "there's a child in the car seat."
Do babies produce enough CO2 to detect within a car?
Orrex
(63,261 posts)A smart alarm that distinctively rings the driver's phone if the phone moves, say, 20 feet from the car while the car seat is still buckled.
peace13
(11,076 posts)The day care center obviously was expecting the child. A courtesy call would have saved a life. I'm not relieving the father of the responsibilities here. Just wishing that someone would have made the call.
People are so distracted today by many things. A simple reminder on the computer bag, or telephone....say a baby shoe tied on, would remind the parent that a sleepy baby was still in the car. Funny how folks rarely forget the phone.
My heart goes out to this family. Their lives are changed forever.
Orrex
(63,261 posts)We've never had our kids in daycare, but I've asked a number of coworkers, and I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that about 60% of them report that their daycare centers do call if a child doesn't show up at the site on an expected day.
I understand the logistical constraints that might prevent some sites from offering that service, but it would be great if it could be implemented.
RiffRandell
(5,909 posts)Unless he doesn't normally bring the child to day care? I've seen it happen quite a few times in GA but statistically around the country it's probably considered too rare for a front seat design.
You would think his child might cross his mind at some point during the day and he might of realized; I hate to judge as what he is feeling must be indescribable.
I'm thinking his attorney will probably plea to a lesser charge.
Tanuki
(14,926 posts)I don't see how you could "forget" that the child was in there, but that is what the police said happened. It's not like those cases where the parent deliberately leaves a child in the hot car while shopping at the mall or gambling at a casino. I would think that a charge of murder would require intent to harm. Poor little kid. Terrible thing to have happened.
tosh
(4,424 posts)JHB
(37,163 posts)***
The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. 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.
Last year it happened three times in one day, the worst day so far in the worst year so far in a phenomenon that gives no sign of abating. The facts in each case differ a little, but always there is the terrible moment when the parent realizes what he or she has done, often through a phone call from a spouse or caregiver. This is followed by a frantic sprint to the car. What awaits there is the worst thing in the world.
Each instance has its own macabre signature. One father had parked his car next to the grounds of a county fair; as he discovered his sons body, a calliope tootled merrily beside him. Another man, wanting to end things quickly, tried to wrestle a gun from a police officer at the scene. Several people -- including Mary Parks of Blacksburg -- have driven from their workplace to the day-care center to pick up the child theyd thought theyd dropped off, never noticing the corpse in the back seat.
***
The quality of prior parental care seems to be irrelevant, he said. The important factors that keep showing up involve a combination of stress, emotion, lack of sleep and change in routine, where the basal ganglia is trying to do what its supposed to do, and the conscious mind is too weakened to resist. What happens is that the memory circuits in a vulnerable hippocampus literally get overwritten, like with a computer program. Unless the memory circuit is rebooted -- such as if the child cries, or, you know, if the wife mentions the child in the back -- it can entirely disappear.
http://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
Do read the whole article. It's the same process that can cause you to leave your keys in the car or lock yourself out of your home. No one wants to think it's possible that it might happen with a kid instead.
RiffRandell
(5,909 posts)Everyone should read it. Thank you for sharing.
Warpy
(111,417 posts)Most parents I know say that sleep is the first thing to go when the kids start to arrive.
Unless there was clear and chronic neglect, I can't see how this is a crime. It's tragic, yes, and it will wreck his whole life and family. I don't see a crime here, just a terrible accident.
GeorgeGist
(25,326 posts)Tikki
(14,560 posts)Something that would make a loud enough sound until the parent releases the child to day care.
Tikki
JHB
(37,163 posts)Purse, briefcase, coat, anything, put in the back so that you have to go where the child is, and not just get out of the car and go onto whatever you're doing.
Less dire example: I commute by train regularly, so I'm accustomed to only having what I have with me on my seat and lap. Occasionally I'll use the same train to travel to a relative's house, with luggage in the rack above my seat. After the second time I hopped off the train without my luggage, I started tying something to it that would dangle down -- nothing that would bother me or anyone while seated, but when I got up for my stop it'd be in my face. Just a reminder not to simply act on "this is my stop" reflex.
renate
(13,776 posts)That's an excellent idea. If you need to swipe a card to get into work, maybe, that would be something to put in the back seat when you're not following your usual routine. Or if you drive an automatic, your left shoe.
It's been many years since I dropped a child off at day care but I don't blame this father one bit. Parenting a young child is EXHAUSTING and lack of sleep can really mess with a person's brain function.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)If somebody could come up with an APP that asks if you remembered your child in the back seat may just save a ton of baby's lives. I love the idea and think that they could easy make one and even if they sell it for a couple bucks, it would be well worth it.
JHB
(37,163 posts)The trick is getting people to realize just how possible it is to do this, and get them to actually use the app.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)That is great....a media blitz on every news show would help.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)Customer Questions & Answers
Q: How does the device connect to the internet to send alerts? If it's connected to the bluetooth on my phone and I leave the car, doesn't do much good?
A: We actually bought it to evaluate the technology (http://smallonessafety.com/our-story.html). We were developing our own technology (SOS, coming July) to remind you that you have a baby in the car: http://smallonessafety.com. Consumer Reports didn't have much good to say about the iAlert. I think they are going to stop making the iAlert. Bottom line: it doesn't work.
Published: September 19, 2013 09:00 AM
by Michelle Tsai
An average of 38 children die each year from heat stroke after being left in a hot car. It is a tragic mistake that can happen to anyone, particularly when someone alters his normal schedule. Despite public awareness campaigns, it has been difficult to prevent these horrible accidents, but an innovative new child safety seat may help.
<>
Our preliminary findings are consistent with a study previously done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia that found similar technologies unreliable. Whats more, the True Fit IAlert currently retails for a $299.99, exclusively through Amazon. Thats between $70 and $100 more than the standard True Fit C680 without the IAlert technology. A big price difference for a feature were not so sure of.
Rather than go the high-tech route, here are a few no-cost ways to remember your precious cargo in the back seat.
* Simple rule: Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, not even for a minute. In addition to being dangerous, it is against the law in many states.
* Check the car to make sure that all occupants leave the vehicle or are carried out when unloading. If you lock the door with a key, rather than with a remote, it would force that one last look in the car before leaving it.
* Always lock your car and keep keys and remotes away from children.
* To serve as a reminder, keep a stuffed animal on the front passenger seat when carrying a child in the backseat.
* Place something in the backseat that you would need, such as a purse, briefcase or cell phone, when transporting kids.
* Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up as scheduled.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)DA: Death of baby left in car at Intel was 'tragic and unintentional accident'
By Rebecca Woolington | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on March 13, 2015 at 8:25 PM, updated March 13, 2015 at 8:45 PM
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)unblock
(52,440 posts)What kind of person forgets a baby?
The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. 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.
...
The quality of prior parental care seems to be irrelevant, he said. The important factors that keep showing up involve a combination of stress, emotion, lack of sleep and change in routine, where the basal ganglia is trying to do what its supposed to do, and the conscious mind is too weakened to resist. What happens is that the memory circuits in a vulnerable hippocampus literally get overwritten, like with a computer program. Unless the memory circuit is rebooted -- such as if the child cries, or, you know, if the wife mentions the child in the back -- it can entirely disappear.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)It's devastating for everyone.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)Having sleeping children in the back seat is a big part of it as is exhaustion and breaks in routines.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)had a kid one tired morning.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)I don't consider that a problem.
Let me explain where I'm coming from: I was an investigator for Child Protective Services. From my point of view there is nothing as important as the life, safety, happiness and in short the total wellbeing of a child.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)I'd never ever forget my dog in the car, I can't imagine forgetting your child. I just don't understand how anyone can become unconscious to who is in their car. Bad enough that most people seem to drive as though they're a passenger.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Bullshit.
avebury
(10,953 posts)Second degree murder does not require pre-planning. A reasonable person would not leave a child in a car for hours. A reasonable person would know that leaving a child in a locked car on a hot day can result in the death of a child,
Leaving a child in the child is child endangerment which is a crime. Loss of life in the commission of a crime can result in murder charges. The child died as a result of a criminal act on the part of the father ergo he can be charged with murder. I think that 2nd Degree is the most probable charge and negligent homicide at a minimum.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)On a par with kids being tried as adults.
Unless some evidence of criminal intent has been uncovered.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,405 posts)Second-degree murder often results in less serious penalties because the person acted unusually and beyond their normal self control due to an intense situation. This may occur after a man finds his wife having an affair with their marriage therapist and is so enraged that he kills his therapist right then and there. This would also be called voluntary manslaughter.
The last type of murder is in the third-degree and is involuntary manslaughter. Many times, drunk drivers who have killed another driver or person on a highway are charged with involuntary manslaughter. While the person was negligent by driving drunk, this person did not intend to kill another human being.
http://www.georgiacriminaldefense.com/georgiamurder.html
This is negligent but with no intent at all.
Michigander_Life
(549 posts)Because she "narced" on a negligent parent. I wish someone had reported this to the police in time to save this child.
What a preventable tragedy.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)Michigander_Life
(549 posts)Those kids in the apartment could have experienced any number of emergencies at any time. Emergencies that require immediate adult intervention, such as choking or fire or poison / chemical ingestion. Or a fall or other traumatic injury.
IVoteDFL
(417 posts)I'm normally just a lurker here, I don't often feel like I have a point to make that someone else hasn't already made, but some people here just don't seem to get it. I grew up in a working family who often had trouble keeping an eye on me 100% of the time. I also hate to keep this damn topic going, but since some can't let it die and it amazes me how many people here, of all places, just don't understand what it's like to come from a family that HAS to work. Now that I think about it the last time I posted here it was on a different topic about denigrating the poor. Sigh.
My mom worked days and my dad worked overnights. Someone was always home with me, but they had to sleep sometime. The worst thing I ever did was that I tried to make Banana Bread by myself when I was like 5. I don't remember much, but my mom said she came home to a horrible mess, but I'd otherwise done a good job! I was pretty proud of myself. I cooked for me and my dad pretty regularly after that, though I did take better care to clean up.
I never had a lot of supervision, even when we lost our home and had to move into my grandparents house. Everyone worked. I saw myself to and home from school by 3rd grade I was a crossing guard and I took other kids home, I did my homework without being asked, I took the dog for a walk, I made dinners for the entire family. By the time I was 10 years old, I was the best cook in the house. Easily.
I like to think that I'm a lovely young independent woman now, and I'm currently pursuing a career as a chef. Who knows if I would love to cook so much if I hadn't been left to my own devices when I was young? I wouldn't trade my upbringing for ANYTHING in this world. I love the way I turned out. I look at a lot of people in my age group and they cannot say the same thing about themselves. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or say that I'm flawless, on the contrary I've also been in some trouble, but I'm happy with myself and that is a relief to me. I also love my working parents and grandparents fiercely and if anyone had tried to take me away I'm sure I would have been devastated beyond belief.
Edited to add that by the time my grandma was ten years old she was already built like a football player from doing farm work and had already helped deliver at least two of her younger siblings.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)He was not prosecuted for the death of his child.
renate
(13,776 posts)I'm impressed beyond words.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)RiffRandell
(5,909 posts)I'm sure the father would have appreciated the call as he wouldn't be in jail facing murder charges and his son would still be alive.
I have enough faith in the human race to believe had someone noticed, they would have called.
Sissyk
(12,665 posts)I bet the father wishes someone had seen the child still in the car all alone and called the police. He would have been very grateful that someone saved the life of his child!
This is not the same thing AT ALL!
840high
(17,196 posts)Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)It reminds me of the CSI episode in season 4 where they find a baby in the car. At the end of the episode Catherine is sitting in the car with the air conditioner off watching the temperature monitor as it went up to like 124.
cilla4progress
(24,791 posts)a post-it? On the dash?
csziggy
(34,139 posts)I like these two suggestions:
* To serve as a reminder, keep a stuffed animal on the front passenger seat when carrying a child in the backseat.
* Place something in the backseat that you would need, such as a purse, briefcase or cell phone, when transporting kids.
Either would be a reminder to a busy person.
cilla4progress
(24,791 posts)There but for the grace of god I think go many of us.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)kiva
(4,373 posts)or a school - how many people 'forget' to call to say their child won't be there or that they are running late? No, this one is on the parents.
unblock
(52,440 posts)yes, they will certainly get a lot of "sorry i forgot to call you" answers, but they absolutely should do something to try to potentially save the lives of their customers.
yes, whoever is with the child obviously should be responsible for the child, but why on earth would we say no one should help?
kiva
(4,373 posts)I would applaud it.
unblock
(52,440 posts)and pizza delivery places sometimes call back for confirmation.
i see this a day care provider calling if someone unexpectedly doesn't show up as similar.
it's just good business, even if it didn't have the potentially life-saving aspect.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)RiffRandell
(5,909 posts)I know day care can be a financial burden, but when the children are picked up, a staff member could ask if the child will be returning the next day, and if the parent answers "yes" and they don't show, a designated staff member goes down a list and makes calls. A child may be home sick, but it's one idea even though I agree it's not their responsibility.
They could charge an extra mandatory fee.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)the parent was on the cell phone the whole time. Cognitive dissonance can be deadly.
tblue37
(65,524 posts)her baby on a bus. I also read about a woman who left her baby in his carseat on the roof of her car when she drove off. The baby's carseat protected him from injury when it fell from the roof of the car, and another driver found the child by the side of the road.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,226 posts)Negligent homicide at most. And probably a suspended sentence and probation as a punishment.
If it was truly an accident--and believe it or not, many of these incidents are completely freak accidents with no malice intended--the emotional punishment and guilt that the parent will carry for the rest of his life will be more than punishment enough.
kiva
(4,373 posts)but I have an issue with 'the parent will punish him/herself for the rest of their life' because we do not feel the same about other crimes and other people who are responsible for the death of children.
If this was a daycare worker who forgot to take child out of a van after a field trip, we wouldn't say that; if a school bus driver didn't realize a child was left in the bus and he or she died, we wouldn't say it. We tend to see the death of a child that is the fault of a parent as an accident, but if anyone else is involved that person is charged with a crime. Assuming it is an accident, I cannot imagine anyone not feeling lifelong guilt if they caused the death of a child (or anyone, for that matter).
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,226 posts)....would also be pretty overwhelming.
tblue37
(65,524 posts)LisaL
(44,980 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,490 posts)LisaL
(44,980 posts)unblock
(52,440 posts)So what to do, systematically, to lessen the chances of such simple but fatal errors? Kids and Cars sums up their suggestions with the acronym BE SAFE:
Back seat: Put something in the back seat whenever you strap a child in, so you have to open the back door, or at least turn around to find that item, when you get out of the car. Your handbag or briefcase, cellphone or employee badge.
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.
Stuffed animal: Keep a brightly colored one in the car seat when your child isnt there. Then move it from the car seat to the front seat after you strap your child in, to remind you when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your baby sitter or child-care provider to call you within 10 minutes if your child hasn't arrived on time.
Focus on driving: Avoid cellphone calls and text-messaging while driving.
Every time you park your vehicle -- every single time -- open the back door to make sure no one has been left behind.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Orrex
(63,261 posts)You should repost them as an OP.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I have also heard some people literally take off a shoe and put it in the back seat.
Parents are so overtired I can absolutely believe this. My poor friend has a four year-old that can't sleep wean off of co-sleeping and keeps them up all night. The baby sleeps a little better than the toddler but they wake up at different times so it's constant. Both parents are about ready to have a nervous breakdown and on the brink of divorce because they can't sleep. I have shared your list with them to make sure this does not happen. If you're a walking zombie, accidents like this are possible.
phylny
(8,393 posts)There are times I'll put my car keys on top of something (even if it's in the fridge) that I need to take into work the next day. As soon as I look for my car keys, there it is, and I remember.
Today I was actually thinking that it was so freaking hot here in Virginia, and I was pleasantly surprised we hadn't heard of one of these incidents yet all summer, and now, here we are. Poor family.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I thought the shoe trick was a good idea. Perhaps also an alarm on one's phone, especially if that's something you do every day. Anything to help people remember. So sorry for this parent and I don't agree with criminal charges in this case as it truly seems like a horrible accident.
tblue37
(65,524 posts)to take my reusable canvas bags in with me when I go shopping for groceries. I actually keep a bunch of them in the front passenger seat, but I am always thinking about a million things, and I never realize they are still out in the car until I get to the checkout lane and the person starts bagging my groceries. I have gotten better about it, but I still forget them at least half the time, and probably a bit more than half the time.
Modern life is simply not what we were evolved for. We cannot juggle so many issues, commitments, problems, etc., without dropping something.
Remember several years ago, when day planners first became all the rage? They had whole stores devoted to selling nothing but day planners, and those stores would actually have seminars, lasting from an hour to even 8 hours on a given day (usually a Saturday) to teach purchasers how to efficiently schedule their lives with their day planners!
Very little of our minds are actually conscious. Most of what goes on in there is taken care of by what are sometimes called subconscious zombie programs. Unless we are extremely diligent, the subconscious zombie programs lead us by the nose in pretty much any situation where we have created a routine.
Even the parent usually responsible for dropping the kid off at daycare has only been doing so for a short while when the child is a baby or toddler, compared to how long he/she has been following a completely different routine; and both parents are going to be stressed and sleep deprived under the best of circumstances. It would take very little for those subconscious zombie programs to reassert primacy and cause the parent to forget the baby in the back seat.
If the parent is the one who doesn't usually drop off the child, then it is almost a miracle if he/she doesn't forget that the kid is in the back seat!
unblock
(52,440 posts)add to that a normally talkative kid who this time just happens to be tired and takes a nap and this time makes no noise.
the other day mrs. unblock asked me to stop by the school on the way to work to pick up mini-unblock's meds (it being the last day of school). i got in the car and took my usual commute and just continued to drive to work, on auto-pilot. blew past the turn off to the school without a moment's thought. didn't realize it until i walked into work and started to think about my tasks for the day.
elleng
(131,292 posts)and what good will this prosecution do?
avebury
(10,953 posts)held accountable for criminal acts like this and make no mistake it is a criminal act. You can debate at what level of charge should be file but he does deserve to spend time behind bars.
elleng
(131,292 posts)usually required for 'felony murder,' depending of course on the jurisdiction.
avebury
(10,953 posts)Prosecutors generally start with the highest chage possible with lesser included charges (call it a shot gun approach). Starting out with 1st Degree murder also might help them in obtaining a plea agreement with prison time.
I would have no problem with a 2nd Degree Murder Charge but could live with negligent homicide.
Negligent homicide is a pretty cut and dry charge. The Prosecutor would have no problems proving the father was negligent. The death occurred as a result of an existing illegal act - child endangerment. Laws frequently allow for a murder charge if death occurs as a result of a criminal act. This might be why they are starting with 1st Degree Murder.
yellowcanine
(35,703 posts)For example, two people get into an argument in a bar, one guy pulls out a gun and shoots the other. Or a road rage incident where someone shoots into an occupied car and hits a passenger instead of the offending driver he was supposedly aiming at. Those could be 2nd Degree murder. The way the story reads here this would not even be a close call. For a prosecutor to go for a charge which is not justified by the facts in the hope of getting a guilty plea to a lesser charge is prosecutorial misconduct and could be a breach of judicial ethics resulting in criminal or administrative sanctions against the prosecutor.
Second Degree Murder: Definition
Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as: 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion"; or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life. Second-degree murder may best be viewed as the middle ground between first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
- See more at: http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/second-degree-murder-overview.html#sthash.lH2zecSH.dpuf
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,352 posts)There isn't any in the "child endangerment" alleged by the poster up-thread and there isn't any in the manslaughter allegation.
Child endangerment also requires an intentional act - leaving the kid alone in the car intentionally in this instance.
There's no intent in any part of this chain. And you need one to get to the other.
Crabby Appleton
(5,231 posts)The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. 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.
...
fishwax
(29,149 posts)thanks for posting it ...
Sissyk
(12,665 posts)And in today's hectic lifestyle can happen too easily.
If for some reason my husband took our son to day care when he was a wee one, I always called him when he arrived at work just to verify he had dropped the kiddo off. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, it was that it was not his normal routine.
It never bothered him that I called either. We were parents that both had to work, and needed to work together for the safety of our child.
I feel for this father and the child's family.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)there really are no predictors to who will do this (across bad and good parents, gender, race, SES etc.). it's likely that this is an mistake that occurs really really accidentally.
avebury
(10,953 posts)if the child had been home and got ahold of a loaded gun and shot himself or someone else the father would not face criminal charges.
It shows the hypocricy of our society that the father would face prison time in one situation and not the other.
It is horrible what that child went through.
otohara
(24,135 posts)there would be no murder charges, maybe no charges at all.
That's how we roll in Murika when it comes to guns/children
yellowcanine
(35,703 posts)Unless there is more to the story this is at most child endangerment and negligent homicide.
fishwax
(29,149 posts)the child endangerment, and the felony murder comes from the death occurring in the commission of that felony.
JI7
(89,283 posts)i'm not sure how all daycares work. if there are no regular schedules they can do something like require parents to call on the day they want to drop the child off. and if a child doesn't show up they contact the parent again to see if they are still coming.
for kids who have regular attendence they can call the parents if the child doesn't show up before a certain time.
maybe make some device that you can keep on yourself such as car keys which will start to beep if another device which is attached to the baby seat is not removed after a certain time. the one attached to the baby seat is required to strap a child in and to remove them.
brewens
(13,645 posts)I don't have kids but I don't know how many times I've set out to go by the post office and drop something off on my way to work, forgot about it and noticed the mail sitting in the seat next to me. Or meaning to go to the bank on my way home, once on the way, I forget and remember as I'm walking up my steps. It's too easy to revert to the usual drive like you do every other morning or afternoon.
i'm sure a woman did exactly the same thing a few years back. Her husband usually dropped the kid off at day care. She was in her office when it dawned on her what she had done if I remember right. It was too late that time too. I feel sorry for anyone that has something like that accidentally happen. It's not like he intentionally did it and was in the bar drinking. His marriage is probably over and his life is ruined now.
tblue37
(65,524 posts)resulting deaths are considered to be no more than "tragic accidents" rather than negligent homicide or murder.
They are obviously overcharging this poor sap. Involuntary manslaughter is the most I can imagine.
LisaL
(44,980 posts)Thankfully police is investigating rather than accepting this as a tragic accident.
""Much has changed about the circumstances leading up to the death of this 22-month-old since it was first reported," Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce told CNN. He would not elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation, but his words made it clear this was not just another case of a young life left and lost to heat exposure in a hot car."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/21/us/toddler-car-death-probe/?sr=google_news
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Just no words.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Sadly, we hear this story every year ... it is terrifying.
This is tragic ... Unless the DA knows something we don't ... the charges against this father are inappropriate.