16-month-old boy dies after being left in hot car for 9 hours in Burnaby

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

 

The sound quality is poor at the beginning, so I’d recommend skipping to around the 2:20 mark.

 

The video shows Dr. Jodie Edwards telling the story of the tragic death of her 11-month-old daughter, Jenna.

 

There are a number of things I find compelling in this case.

 

First off, the story itself. I think it does a good job of explaining the process of how false memories can be created, convincing parents that they’ve actually dropped their kids off at childcare, when in fact, the child is sleeping in the car. 

 

Dr. Edwards didn’t forget about her child. Her brain told her that she’d safely delivered her daughter to the babysitter. So she didn’t check the back seat before she left the car and went to work. Her memory told her she’d already dropped her daughter off, so why check the car, when you already “know” your child is safely delivered to their destination?

 

I wonder how many people actually check the back seat for children every time they get out of their vehicles? Even when they are driving alone (or believe they are alone). I’m sure some do, because they are aware of the risks, but do most people? I doubt it. When people bring their kids to daycare, drop them off, and head to their next destination, how many of them check the car to verify that what they remember doing (dropping off their kids) has actually happened? How many people physically check the backseat for their kids when they already “know” the kids are somewhere else and not in the car?

 

Anyone who has dropped their kids at childcare, and continued to work (or another destination), and then failed to check their car for children when they arrived at their next stop, is at risk for leaving a child in their car. Our brains are capable of creating a false memory that we have safely delivered our kids to childcare, even when they are still in the car with us.

 

Jodie Edwards thought about her beloved children all day. She was excited to get off work and go pick them up. And when she first saw her precious baby, dead in her car, she actually believed some sick person had put the baby there. In her panic and confusion, she even looked in her car for her older son (who was still at preschool), thinking maybe someone had taken both her kids and left them there.

 

Her false memory was that strong. She believed that she’d left her daughter with the babysitter, because that’s what her brain told her. 

 

Another thing I find really compelling about this video is that it is taking place four years after the tragic death of baby Jenna. Dr. Edwards still is out there, telling her story at hospitals, conferences, and child safety events, because she wants to help raise awareness and prevent future tragedies. I’ve even seen her interviewed on this topic as recently as this year. 

 

She wants people to learn from her story and understand the risks. Before that tragic day, she had never left her kids in the car, not even for one minute. She loved her kids. Nothing was more important than their care and safety. She had seen the news stories about hot car child deaths, and like most people, she condemned the parents, and she told herself, “this could never happen to me.”

 

It is a normal psychological response to demonize the parents in these cases. The idea that a loving, responsible parent could accidentally kill their own children is horrifying, and we naturally try to put as much distance between ourselves and these parents as possible. They must be bad parents, because if they were good parents, like us, than these tragedies could also happen to us. 

 

This is the danger.

 

Jodie Edwards was a good parent who believed she was somehow different from the parents she saw on the news whose children had died in hot cars. She believed that her love, care, and attentiveness were enough to ensure this tragedy could never happen to her and her child.

 

She knew she would never leave her kids alone in a car. But she never thought of the possibility that her brain might tell her that her children were safe somewhere else, when in fact, her baby girl was asleep in the back seat of her car.

 

This is why parents of small children need to train themselves to automatically check their cars every time they exit the vehicle. And put systems, objects, or devices in place that force them to check if their kids are in the car. They need to check, even when they “know” their kids aren’t with them. They need to check the car. Every single time. Even when they are travelling alone. Even when they “know” their kids are at home, at childcare, or out with the other parent. They need to check their car even after they “know” they’ve dropped their kids off somewhere else. Our brains are capable of processing errors that can convince us that our children are safe with another caregiver, when in fact they are still with us in the car.

 

This is really the only way to stop these tragedies from happening.

 

We need to recognize that we’re not really different from these parents. Our brains all share the same design flaws. But we can account for our neurological limitations, and we can learn from these tragic cases, to create better systems to ensure our kids’ safety (or at least mitigate many of these risks).

[Monty]

4 hours ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

 

The sound quality is poor at the beginning, so I’d recommend skipping to around the 2:20 mark.

 

The video shows Dr. Jodie Edwards telling the story of the tragic death of her 11-month-old daughter, Jenna.

 

There are a number of things I find compelling in this case.

 

First off, the story itself. I think it does a good job of explaining the process of how false memories can be created, convincing parents that they’ve actually dropped their kids off at childcare, when in fact, the child is sleeping in the car. 

 

Dr. Edwards didn’t forget about her child. Her brain told her that she’d safely delivered her daughter to the babysitter. So she didn’t check the back seat before she left the car and went to work. Her memory told her she’d already dropped her daughter off, so why check the car, when you already “know” your child is safely delivered to their destination?

 

I wonder how many people actually check the back seat for children every time they get out of their vehicles? Even when they are driving alone (or believe they are alone). I’m sure some do, because they are aware of the risks, but do most people? I doubt it. When people bring their kids to daycare, drop them off, and head to their next destination, how many of them check the car to verify that what they remember doing (dropping off their kids) has actually happened? How many people physically check the backseat for their kids when they already “know” the kids are somewhere else and not in the car?

 

Anyone who has dropped their kids at childcare, and continued to work (or another destination), and then failed to check their car for children when they arrived at their next stop, is at risk for leaving a child in their car. Our brains are capable of creating a false memory that we have safely delivered our kids to childcare, even when they are still in the car with us.

 

Jodie Edwards thought about her beloved children all day. She was excited to get off work and go pick them up. And when she first saw her precious baby, dead in her car, she actually believed some sick person had put the baby there. In her panic and confusion, she even looked in her car for her older son (who was still at preschool), thinking maybe someone had taken both her kids and left them there.

 

Her false memory was that strong. She believed that she’d left her daughter with the babysitter, because that’s what her brain told her. 

 

Another thing I find really compelling about this video is that it is taking place four years after the tragic death of baby Jenna. Dr. Edwards still is out there, telling her story at hospitals, conferences, and child safety events, because she wants to help raise awareness and prevent future tragedies. I’ve even seen her interviewed on this topic as recently as this year. 

 

She wants people to learn from her story and understand the risks. Before that tragic day, she had never left her kids in the car, not even for one minute. She loved her kids. Nothing was more important than their care and safety. She had seen the news stories about hot car child deaths, and like most people, she condemned the parents, and she told herself, “this could never happen to me.”

 

It is a normal psychological response to demonize the parents in these cases. The idea that a loving, responsible parent could accidentally kill their own children is horrifying, and we naturally try to put as much distance between ourselves and these parents as possible. They must be bad parents, because if they were good parents, like us, than these tragedies could also happen to us. 

 

This is the danger.

 

Jodie Edwards was a good parent who believed she was somehow different from the parents she saw on the news whose children had died in hot cars. She believed that her love, care, and attentiveness were enough to ensure this tragedy could never happen to her and her child.

 

She knew she would never leave her kids alone in a car. But she never thought of the possibility that her brain might tell her that her children were safe somewhere else, when in fact, her baby girl was asleep in the back seat of her car.

 

This is why parents of small children need to train themselves to automatically check their cars every time they exit the vehicle. And put systems, objects, or devices in place that force them to check if their kids are in the car. They need to check, even when they “know” their kids aren’t with them. They need to check the car. Every single time. Even when they are travelling alone. Even when they “know” their kids are at home, at childcare, or out with the other parent. They need to check their car even after they “know” they’ve dropped their kids off somewhere else. Our brains are capable of processing errors that can convince us that our children are safe with another caregiver, when in fact they are still with us in the car.

 

This is really the only way to stop these tragedies from happening.

 

We need to recognize that we’re not really different from these parents. Our brains all share the same design flaws. But we can account for our neurological limitations, and we can learn from these tragic cases, to create better systems to ensure our kids’ safety (or at least mitigate many of these risks).

This is a phenomenal post. I listened to the Revisionist History podcast by Malcolm Gladwell a few months ago, particularly the episode “Free Brian Williams”, which focuses particularly on our memories and how we can’t even trust our own memories at times. How we are so convinced of the truth of a situation, that it is actually not a lie to us, nor do we intend to lie. The event has been changed by so many factors, that we are convinced something happened a certain way. 

 

That’s why I also try and subscribe to this...

 

21 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

I think tragedies happen and I don't feel I am the judge of such events when people's lives are destroyed.  No question children put in the care of adults have the absolute expectation of care and safety but somethings things happen that simply happen.   It isn't something ANYONE wanted, or planned for or even in some of the most tragic events, could have prevented if they did things "right" 99 times out of 100 because sometimes bad crap just happens.    

It isn't so much about empathy as deciding who gets to be judge.   I could not agree more that all needless death/suffering should be prevented and to children, it is even more so an absolute.   I also know of people who have had their lives ruined by events that can only be classified as tragic and I do not feel my judgement of them is either fair or even valid.   

 

I align with your focus but I stop short of judging others as I am not in their shoes of grief beyond understanding.    IF one of your children when they were  younger somehow for the briefest second of your distraction ran away out of character and out of all logic and was struck by a bus - would that be the same lack of parenting care and attention?   If you can say that 100% of all time no such possible outcome could have ever happened to your kids on your watch then I say you are a revelation among parents.

 

By the grace of God go I.

Both of these posts are terrific.

 

I’ve discussed this horrible Burnaby event with my wife, and she is 100% terrified because she knows how her brain works (tunnel vision), and so used to a schedule, that she could see herself making the exact same awful move, because she’s not used to dropping our child off at daycare. That’s all on me to pick up and drop off. That’s my routine. 

 

Not an excuse for something absolutely life shattering, but I am not the person to throw stones on this one.

[Rob_Zepp]

1 minute ago, Monty said:

This is a phenomenal post. I listened to the Revisionist History podcast by Malcolm Gladwell a few months ago, particularly the episode “Free Brian Williams”, which focuses particularly on our memories and how we can’t even trust our own memories at times. How we are so convinced of the truth of a situation, that it is actually not a lie to us, nor do we intend to lie. The event has been changed by so many factors, that we are convinced something happened a certain way. 

 

That’s why I also try and subscribe to this...

 

Both of these posts are terrific.

 

I’ve discussed this horrible Burnaby event with my wife, and she is 100% terrified because she knows how her brain works (tunnel vision), and so used to a schedule, that she could see herself making the exact same awful move, because she’s not used to dropping our child off at daycare. That’s all on me to pick up and drop off. That’s my routine. 

 

Not an excuse for something absolutely life shattering, but I am not the person to throw stones on this one.

Thanks Monty.   I cannot begin to get my head around how someone would feel if this happened to them....nor can I find it reasonable to have a legitimate excuse for having it happen - so i default to simply saying I cannot judge others other than to sum it up as a tragic event that I hope others learn from to never allow to happen in their own lives.

[RUPERTKBD]

I think this quote from Sid's post really hits the nail on the head:

 

Quote

This is why parents of small children need to train themselves to automatically check their cars every time they exit the vehicle. And put systems, objects, or devices in place that force them to check if their kids are in the car. They need to check, even when they “know” their kids aren’t with them. They need to check the car. Every single time. Even when they are travelling alone. Even when they “know” their kids are at home, at childcare, or out with the other parent. They need to check their car even after they “know” they’ve dropped their kids off somewhere else. Our brains are capable of processing errors that can convince us that our children are safe with another caregiver, when in fact they are still with us in the car.

As I said earlier, my kids are grown now, but when they were little, I took much the same approach with them. Assume something is going to go wrong and take action to prevent it every time. It's the same reason when I'm driving and see kids playing near the street, I assume one of them will run out into traffic. I make sure I slow down and I'm ready to hit the brakes.

 

If everyone practiced this type of preventative thinking, I believe we'd have a lot fewer tragedies like this.

[BPA]

Guess people are wired differently. 

 

I've always been the type to be:

Arm's distance in the pool.

Line of sight at the Playground.

Holding hands in the mall.

Head counts every few minutes. 

 

I put everything in my phone as a reminder of what I need to do.  Like picking up the kids or their activities. 

 

For the post above:  agree assume the worst scenarios.  See kids...assume they will run out onto the street.  See motorcycle in front of me...assume a sudden stop (much faster stopping power).  Etc.

 

It's a tragic senseless death.  I think there is a petition to get car manufacturers to implement a warning system if the backseat is occupied (or something like that...I saw a car commercial of it).

 

[189lb enforcers?]

Has there been any clarity on how this tot was forgotten about? 

[YummyCakeFace]

Same old same ol.  Stupid people being stupid people. There’s zero common sense anymore. We’re either on big pharma or just plain retarded.  Eat that up you sjw’s!

[Gurn]

Yet again, down in the states

https://www.msn.com/g00/en-ca/news/world/it-is-a-tragedy-kansas-baby-dies-after-being-left-for-hours-inside-hot-car/ar-AACLuKe?ocid=spartandhp&i10c.ua=5&i10c.encReferrer=

"

Kansas police are investigating the death of a 3-month-old girl who was left inside a hot car for several hours last weekend.

Investigators said the child's mother called for help around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, but the child was not breathing and died at the scene, according to KAKE-TV. This is the 11th child who has died in a hot car this year, according to KidsandCars.org, a non-profit safety organization, following a record 52 deaths last year. "

The mother told authorities she had returned from a baby shower around 12:30 p.m. and forgot the baby in the car when she went inside to take a nap, KAKE reported.

 

"She had commented that she had been very tired," said Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet, according to KAKE. "She'd been up some of the night before off and on. Don't know if it was with children or for what reason, but she felt like she needed a nap. She laid down about 12:30 p.m. and slept 'til about 4 o'clock."

He added, "It is a tragedy. A three-month-old child dying, whether it be in the hands of a perpetrator or in a car, is still a child."

'Trapped' in an oven: Study: Hot cars can hit deadly, oven-like temperatures in as little as one hour

The baby's death comes a week after 11-month-old Joseline Eichelberger fell victim to the same fate in Missouri after being left inside a car for 15 hours, police said. Both of her parents were charged this week with second-degree involuntary manslaughter in her death, according to FOX 2 in St. Louis.

KidsAndCars.org recommends that parents check the back door of their vehicle every time they park to ensure that no one is left behind, and that they leave an essential item, such as their phone or handbag, in the back seat to help enforce the habit. 

Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University, told USA TODAY earlier this year that heatstroke is the leading cause of death in vehicles for children ages 14 and under. 

More: In the past 20 years, 800 children died while trapped inside oven-like cars

Temperatures inside can reach as high as 130 degrees, even when external temperatures are in the 70s or 80s, as direct sunlight heats objects inside the car. The body's natural cooling methods, like sweating, begin to falter once the body's core temperature reaches around 104 degrees. Death can occur at 107 degrees.

Children are especially vulnerable in hot cars. They have difficulty getting out of cars on their own, and their respiratory and circulatory systems cannot handle heat as well as those of adults. More than 50% of cases of a child dying in a hot car involve a parent or caregiver who forgot the child inside the vehicle. 

July is typically the deadliest month for children in cars, with a record 16 deaths in 1999, Null said.

Forgetting a child inside a car can happen to anyone, Arizona State University psychologist Gene Brewer told USA TODAY last year. 

"Memory failures are remarkably powerful, and they happen to everyone," Brewer said. "There is no difference between gender, class, personality, race or other traits. Functionally, there isn’t much of a difference between forgetting your keys and forgetting your child in the car."

[Ronaldoescobar]

34 minutes ago, gurn said:

Yet again, down in the states

https://www.msn.com/g00/en-ca/news/world/it-is-a-tragedy-kansas-baby-dies-after-being-left-for-hours-inside-hot-car/ar-AACLuKe?ocid=spartandhp&i10c.ua=5&i10c.encReferrer=

"

Kansas police are investigating the death of a 3-month-old girl who was left inside a hot car for several hours last weekend.

Investigators said the child's mother called for help around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, but the child was not breathing and died at the scene, according to KAKE-TV. This is the 11th child who has died in a hot car this year, according to KidsandCars.org, a non-profit safety organization, following a record 52 deaths last year. "

The mother told authorities she had returned from a baby shower around 12:30 p.m. and forgot the baby in the car when she went inside to take a nap, KAKE reported.

 

"She had commented that she had been very tired," said Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet, according to KAKE. "She'd been up some of the night before off and on. Don't know if it was with children or for what reason, but she felt like she needed a nap. She laid down about 12:30 p.m. and slept 'til about 4 o'clock."

He added, "It is a tragedy. A three-month-old child dying, whether it be in the hands of a perpetrator or in a car, is still a child."

'Trapped' in an oven: Study: Hot cars can hit deadly, oven-like temperatures in as little as one hour

The baby's death comes a week after 11-month-old Joseline Eichelberger fell victim to the same fate in Missouri after being left inside a car for 15 hours, police said. Both of her parents were charged this week with second-degree involuntary manslaughter in her death, according to FOX 2 in St. Louis.

KidsAndCars.org recommends that parents check the back door of their vehicle every time they park to ensure that no one is left behind, and that they leave an essential item, such as their phone or handbag, in the back seat to help enforce the habit. 

Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University, told USA TODAY earlier this year that heatstroke is the leading cause of death in vehicles for children ages 14 and under. 

More: In the past 20 years, 800 children died while trapped inside oven-like cars

Temperatures inside can reach as high as 130 degrees, even when external temperatures are in the 70s or 80s, as direct sunlight heats objects inside the car. The body's natural cooling methods, like sweating, begin to falter once the body's core temperature reaches around 104 degrees. Death can occur at 107 degrees.

Children are especially vulnerable in hot cars. They have difficulty getting out of cars on their own, and their respiratory and circulatory systems cannot handle heat as well as those of adults. More than 50% of cases of a child dying in a hot car involve a parent or caregiver who forgot the child inside the vehicle. 

July is typically the deadliest month for children in cars, with a record 16 deaths in 1999, Null said.

Forgetting a child inside a car can happen to anyone, Arizona State University psychologist Gene Brewer told USA TODAY last year. 

"Memory failures are remarkably powerful, and they happen to everyone," Brewer said. "There is no difference between gender, class, personality, race or other traits. Functionally, there isn’t much of a difference between forgetting your keys and forgetting your child in the car."

All good. The parent was tired and needed a nap... F*^k the kids, gotta live your life right?? 

[CBH1926]

4 hours ago, gurn said:

Yet again, down in the states

https://www.msn.com/g00/en-ca/news/world/it-is-a-tragedy-kansas-baby-dies-after-being-left-for-hours-inside-hot-car/ar-AACLuKe?ocid=spartandhp&i10c.ua=5&i10c.encReferrer=

"

Kansas police are investigating the death of a 3-month-old girl who was left inside a hot car for several hours last weekend.

Investigators said the child's mother called for help around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, but the child was not breathing and died at the scene, according to KAKE-TV. This is the 11th child who has died in a hot car this year, according to KidsandCars.org, a non-profit safety organization, following a record 52 deaths last year. "

The mother told authorities she had returned from a baby shower around 12:30 p.m. and forgot the baby in the car when she went inside to take a nap, KAKE reported.

 

"She had commented that she had been very tired," said Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet, according to KAKE. "She'd been up some of the night before off and on. Don't know if it was with children or for what reason, but she felt like she needed a nap. She laid down about 12:30 p.m. and slept 'til about 4 o'clock."

He added, "It is a tragedy. A three-month-old child dying, whether it be in the hands of a perpetrator or in a car, is still a child."

'Trapped' in an oven: Study: Hot cars can hit deadly, oven-like temperatures in as little as one hour

The baby's death comes a week after 11-month-old Joseline Eichelberger fell victim to the same fate in Missouri after being left inside a car for 15 hours, police said. Both of her parents were charged this week with second-degree involuntary manslaughter in her death, according to FOX 2 in St. Louis.

KidsAndCars.org recommends that parents check the back door of their vehicle every time they park to ensure that no one is left behind, and that they leave an essential item, such as their phone or handbag, in the back seat to help enforce the habit. 

Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University, told USA TODAY earlier this year that heatstroke is the leading cause of death in vehicles for children ages 14 and under. 

More: In the past 20 years, 800 children died while trapped inside oven-like cars

Temperatures inside can reach as high as 130 degrees, even when external temperatures are in the 70s or 80s, as direct sunlight heats objects inside the car. The body's natural cooling methods, like sweating, begin to falter once the body's core temperature reaches around 104 degrees. Death can occur at 107 degrees.

Children are especially vulnerable in hot cars. They have difficulty getting out of cars on their own, and their respiratory and circulatory systems cannot handle heat as well as those of adults. More than 50% of cases of a child dying in a hot car involve a parent or caregiver who forgot the child inside the vehicle. 

July is typically the deadliest month for children in cars, with a record 16 deaths in 1999, Null said.

Forgetting a child inside a car can happen to anyone, Arizona State University psychologist Gene Brewer told USA TODAY last year. 

"Memory failures are remarkably powerful, and they happen to everyone," Brewer said. "There is no difference between gender, class, personality, race or other traits. Functionally, there isn’t much of a difference between forgetting your keys and forgetting your child in the car."

I wonder how many “parents” do this on purpose, and use excuse that this dummy is supporting.