A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said.

A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said.

The baby was found dead in the backseat by his parent at about 5:46 p.m. Tuesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

When the parent went to pick up the baby from day care after work, they realized they forgot to drop him off at day care that morning, the sheriff’s office said.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net
      30·
      2 months ago

      Ah that article, that scared me shitless when I first read it while my wife was pregnant. A single “oops” that really doesn’t just fuck a person up, it ruins their entire life.

      “Death by hyperthermia” is the official designation. When it happens to young children, the facts are often the same: An otherwise loving and attentive parent one day gets busy, or distracted, or upset, or confused by a change in his or her daily routine, and just… forgets a child is in the car. It happens that way somewhere in the United States 15 to 25 times a year, parceled out through the spring, summer and early fall. The season is almost upon us.

      If you ever accidentally left food in the microwave for a few hours, this could be you with children.

      Anyways here’s the archive org link since the primary link is paywalled.

      https://web.archive.org/web/20240617002402/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

      • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
        6·
        2 months ago

        Thinks back to the time I made a giant russet baked potato and forgot about it until the same time the next day when I reheated something from the fridge and wondered why it was still cold after several minutes on high… only to find the dried remains of a flayed potato hiding underneath a paper towel. I set the second plate on top of it without even realizing it was still in there.

    • randoot@lemmy.world
      28·
      2 months ago

      Having gone through what is essentially sleep deprivation torture when raising twins, I believe this and the guilt would be unimaginable.

      • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
        16·
        2 months ago

        A friend was taking a walk with her daughter, she called her from the other side of the street. She didn’t see the car coming though. The daughter ran over the street and was killed by the car.

        She couldn’t see the car, because the parked cars were bigger and blocked the view.

        An unfortunate accident, but she never got over it. It’s been 30 years, but she’s as devastated as before.

        The daughter only crossed the street, because the she called her. This broke her.

      • voracitude@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 months ago

        You would not believe the downvotes I’ve gotten for saying this exact thing. I’m not a parent, but I do take the time to really consider what having to care for an infant would be like. I have been asleep deprived, so I perfectly understand how you could unintentionally cause the death of your kid. I think the hypothetical I gave was something like

        You’re out running errands with the baby on your day off while the spouse is at work. You got maybe 4 hours between getting up to feed and change, and you’re lifting and carrying and running around all day. You stop home to drop off some shopping, you even leave the car running because you’ll be right out. Quick plop on the couch just to rest your legs and back, and then suddenly it’s five hours later and you start awake remembering you left the car running… and the baby in the car.

        I know the terror I feel from that little hypothetical, I can’t believe it doesn’t hit close to home with actual parents too. And then, to be held socially - even if not legally - liable on top of your own guilt… an awful, horrible, soul-chilling situation to contemplate. I wish there were more compassion for new parents, I’d bet it’s more common than we think that parents’ bodies just shut down from the strain.

    • Mobile@leminal.space
      1·
      2 months ago

      Thank you for the read. It’s an imperfect world and these people have to live with their guilt for the rest of their lives.

      • shottymcb@lemm.ee
        0·
        2 months ago

        Ah yes! That way my kid can definitely die of hyperthermia in my arms walking 5 miles to the grocery in 100°F instead of almost certainly not dying in my car.

        • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
          0·
          2 months ago

          Lol this doesn’t happen.

          Edit: just Google child heat stroke—the cases all involve kids trapped in vehicles. Heat stroke for young, healthy people in the outdoor environment is not difficult to avoid. It usually occurs when people are forced to do intense physical labor without rest. It’s not happening while you’re walking with your kid to school or daycare or whatever.

          Cars are much more dangerous to children than walking is. There is a mountain of evidence to support this.

    • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      Piggybacking your comment to say that this kinda shit would happen a lot less if we had mandatory maternity/paternity leave.