Hot Car Deaths "You Forgot ? How Could You ? "

This is a story I wrote about hot car deaths of babies and young children who are being left in the car as the heat rises quickly and how the parents and caregivers must be held responsible.

Hot Car Deaths "You Forgot ? How Could You ?

This is especially important right now because of the extreme record heat we are having around the country

My story was recently published in the local newspaper in the small town I live in.

Hot car

By Wendy Saipale

I am about to embark on a category that is so difficult for most to even think about. I am having an especially hard time this summer, due to the extreme heat we are having here in Southern Utah. We’ve had temperatures reach 118 degrees just last month. Of Course it’s not just here, but so many cities across the country have amazingly high temperatures in the summer and sometimes in the spring as well. Even as I sit here typing, I am feeling the heat of what I am going to address in this publication.

Almost every week, I hear of another case of a young child or baby being left in a hot car. Most of the time, it is the parents or a caregiver of the child. It is a topic that, to say the least, needs to be looked at in a more fierce manner. It seems to me that in almost every case, it is said by others that the parents of these poor babies, are actually wonderful parents. This is where I have a problem. I don’t see how anyone can leave a baby or child in a car, ever, especially in the heat. These cars heat up so fast, that the temperature can rise to an absolute death trap within minutes. These babies are totally dependent on the parents, as they are sometimes strapped into a car seat and unable to get themselves free, or too young to even be able to. The point I make here is that when these parents say, “oh I forgot the child was in the car “, that makes no sense to me at all. What parent would forget that their baby is in the car as they go into the house, or the store or wherever they are going? To me, this is impossible and I think this has gone on way too long. Only some of these parents are prosecuted, and as this may sound harsh, I think this is why we have so many of these “hot car “cases around the world. I feel that this is something very important to speak and write about. Some of these people are just uneducated on the effects of this heinous death. Many nights, I lay awake and force myself to think about the torture that these poor toddlers and babies must endure as they die this horrific slow death as the heat in the car quickly goes up to an ungodly number. Why do I force myself to think about this? Actually, I can’t even help it. I hate thinking about it, but it seems that there must be a way to stop so many of these deaths from happening.

Let’s get back to the prosecution. This may sound unsympathetic to some, but in my mind, it is all too easy for this mistake to happen. I think part of that reason is because of the aftermath, which seems to only sometimes put blame on the parents. As I mentioned earlier, the parents are often complimented as what great parents they have been. I seriously don’t understand this, because being a good parent means you take care of your children, no matter what age they are, and specifically the young ones that are totally dependent on the parents or caregiver. It doesn’t matter how many children you have. This is a commitment you make when you start a family. If you are an absent minded person, then you may have to reconsider having a child. I believe this is one of the most important issues happening in the world. We all know that you don’t leave a young child or baby home alone. You don’t leave them with a stranger. When you leave the park, you don’t leave without your young one. So then why is it that people leave their babies in a hot car? Something to really think about and as I said before, something needs to be done concerning this phenomenon. Whether something will change or not, I will keep talking and thinking about this true nightmare.