Fathers forget toddlers in car

Oryx

I read about these stories in the paper yesterday, and it shocked me to the core. How can a parent simply 'forget' they have a child with them?

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/two-toddlers-die-in-cars-after-fathers-forget-them-1439206.html

It makes me shudder to think what the kids went through, and Im sorry if it offends or upsets anyone to read about it. I spent the whole of last night thinking about it, its just a horror.

r3nu4l

I read it too and it is an awful story. One of the fathers is still in hospital on medication

It's hard to figure out how something like this could happen, however, I do know that there have been mornings when I've driven to work on auto-pilot (not safe!!!) simply because I'm so tired, despite my shower and coffee. I have left the iron plugged in and the back door wide open in the morning as well. Tiredness can have a strange effect on the mind. If the children were asleep by the time the fathers got to work then tragically you can see how this might happen

It is horrible and I feel so bad for those children and their parents. How could you live with yourself knowing you had done that

stovelid

What a terrible story.

I read that they could also face criminal charges. I think what happened is enough of a sentence, tbh.

RealistSpy

Wow am shocked.

Toots

That's so sad! A woman came into the bank i work in on wednesday, we were really busy and when she got to the top of the queue, she started giving out to the girl on the desk cos she'd been queuing for about half an hour and she'd left her baby in the car!?!?!?!!? I mean these poor parents did it by accident, and this lunatic does it deliberately? Wednesday had to be one of the hottest days here this summer!:mad::mad:

BostonB

Terrible.

The tiredness is unbelievable. No excuse, but you could imagine how it could happen.

Davidth88

That is one of the saddest/most shocking stories I have read for a long time , those poor fathers , my prayers/thoughts go out to them !

My mother used to tell a story , when we were growing up it was normal to leave a baby in a pram outside any shop you went into. Anyway my father went shopping one day , came home and my mother asked where I was .... I was still happy outside the shop my father had been to !

di11on

Crikey,

I read the headline and just couldn't bring myself to read the article... that's just too insanely tragic. Those poor families... my heart goes out to them

Loopy

Oh that is horrendous.. Those poor little kids. We can get so caught up in life that it is actually is a mistake that any of us could make.

The parents lives are now over - the tortured memories will haunt them I imagine..

Obviously, both kids must of been asleep on the journeys or the parents surely would have copped it.

Khannie

F*ck me. That is horrible.

PinkChick

I find these stories heartbreaking. However, they happen far more than people realise. It is worth any parent reading some of the stories on the following website. Hope it's ok to post this.

http://www.kidsandcars.org/

It makes you think, no matter how good a parent you are, that mistakes can happen. It is recommended that if you have a child in the back of your car to keep a toy or something up front where you will see it and be reminded of the child. Although hard to imagine, it can be far to easy to get distracted and forget about a sleeping child.

biggus

Very similar story to french one happpened in Italy about ten years ago. Factory scenario also but from memory it unfortunetly involved two children and yes it was the father that forgot.
On slightly related matter,A simple tip for parents ;
When my kids were younger the first thing i did with any car was to remove the cigarette lighter, just in case they ever got their hands on it. ,even though the kids were never left alone except for takeaway collection etc, but there was always the chance of distraction.

helimachoptor

for the first child it must have been asleep or a very very quiet child to not have alerted the parent that it was there...

stovelid

helimachoptor wrote: »

for the first child it must have been asleep or a very very quiet child to not have alerted the parent that it was there...

If there is anywhere a kid will conk out, it's in the car tbh.

lostinnappies

oh i nearly cried when i read this, how awful. I have a tendancy to over check my kids, if the buggy is feeling light i make sure hes still in there ... how bad am i lol.

slarkin123

Thats just horrible. The parents must be devastated. I can understand that his was an accident, I just don't get the people that leave their kids in cars, knowing they're their.

curly shirley

I don't understand how people don't do a double check when walking away from the car, I automaticaly look in the back when I get out.

Those poor children...Another couple folded their one year old up with the buggy and put it in the boot of the car and "totally" forgot about the child!!!! Come on......if you fold up a buggy surely you know that there has to be a child to go with it!! Needless to say the child died. How sad is that.

pajos55

There was slightly more to that one

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/2485000/Newborn-baby-dies-after-being-locked-in-car-boot.html

Desparately sad

stovelid

Funny how the first thing some people do when they hear of a freak accident is to apportion blame. I'm sure we've all made completely one-off stupid mistakes before, just in these cases, the outcome was terrible.

Oryx

stovelid wrote: »

Funny how the first thing some people do when they hear of a freak accident is to apportion blame. I'm sure we've all made completely one-off stupid mistakes before, just in these cases, the outcome was terrible.

The headmaster of my sons school was talking about collecting our kids and the chaotic parking. His comment was relevant there, as it is here; Accidents dont just happen, they are caused. Its not about blame really which is not helpful after the fact, its a reminder to be ever vigilant with our kids.

bazwaldo

Its so easy to absent mindedly so something really stupid, especially when tired and stressed.

Yesterday I brought the family shopping and had the stroller in the roofbox of the car. The others went ahead of me as we had an appointment and was running late, and I followed on with the baby. When I got back to the car 2 hours later, I noticed the roofbox was ajar. Then noticed I'd no house keys. I then realised I'd walked off pushing the stroller, leaving my keys in the roofbox and the roofbox fully open. Very luckily for me, a kind gentleman noticed and left them with an information desk and a note on my windscreen. Phew!!!

stovelid

Oryx wrote: »

Its not about blame really which is not helpful after the fact.

Yet a lot of people can't comment on these stories without an admonishment or incredulity at how it could happen. Are we all so perfect?

Not having a go at anybody in this thread by the way, just a general observation.

silverharp

it is a sad story but sometimes it is better not to pay these stories too much attention, its a big world out there and I am sure there are countless occasions in which children have lost their lives for the most banal reasons which I certainly wouldn't want to read about.