2018 Hot Car Deaths

[Cat Herder]

Accident or not, something should be done. Think about it this way. 2 people get in a fight. It goes out of control and one gets killed. The other person gets charged with manslaughter. It wasn't intentional. It was an accident. Most of the child deaths were also an accident. Why no manslaughter charges there?

- 21 states have Unattended Child in Vehicle Laws that have specific language addressing leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. (Complete List)
However, many of these laws have significant exceptions and qualifiers in their language:
- Two states' (Alabama and Wisconsin) laws only apply to paid child care providers.
- Two states' (Kentucky and Missouri) laws only apply if a child is injured or dies.
- Four states allow a period of time a child may be left unattended before it becomes a crime. Florida allows 15-minutes, Illinois allows 10-minutes and both Hawaii and Texas 5-minutes each.
- Washington's law only applies to a running vehicle or one parked outside a tavern or similar establishment.
- Rhode Island's law only allows for a verbal warning and no record can be kept!

- The remaining 29 states do not have laws specifically against leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, but injuries and deaths can be prosecuted under child endangerment, manslaughter and homicide statutes.

- A total of 29 states have laws about leaving animals unattended in vehicles. Summary.

- There are 16 states with "Good Samaritan Laws" with specific language that protects persons who see a child in a car and take action to render assistance. - http://noheatstroke.org/legal.htm

[Cat Herder]

46, now.

46 9/11/2018 Moraga, CA 81° Lily Aracic 19 mo

"KRON4 News has confirmed that a 19-month-old child has been found dead inside of a vehicle in Moraga.

The child has been identified as Lily Aracic, of Oakland. She is the child of a teacher at Miramonte High School in Moraga.

Police tell KRON4 News that the child was inadvertently left inside of a vehicle for an extended amount of time on Tuesday.

The child was discovered by a family member just before 4 p.m., it was about 80 degrees at the time of the incident." - https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/...aga/1437625550

[hwichlaz]

I cannot believe this ie where we are. Needing a device to remind parents their children are there.

People used to say the same about baby monitors....

[Blackcat31]

- 21 states have Unattended Child in Vehicle Laws that have specific language addressing leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. (Complete List)
However, many of these laws have significant exceptions and qualifiers in their language:
- Two states' (Alabama and Wisconsin) laws only apply to paid child care providers.
- Two states' (Kentucky and Missouri) laws only apply if a child is injured or dies.
- Four states allow a period of time a child may be left unattended before it becomes a crime. Florida allows 15-minutes, Illinois allows 10-minutes and both Hawaii and Texas 5-minutes each.
- Washington's law only applies to a running vehicle or one parked outside a tavern or similar establishment.
- Rhode Island's law only allows for a verbal warning and no record can be kept!

- The remaining 29 states do not have laws specifically against leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, but injuries and deaths can be prosecuted under child endangerment, manslaughter and homicide statutes.

- A total of 29 states have laws about leaving animals unattended in vehicles. Summary.

- There are 16 states with "Good Samaritan Laws" with specific language that protects persons who see a child in a car and take action to render assistance. - http://noheatstroke.org/legal.htm

The states that have laws or guidelines in some form have the least occurrences overall....

The connection between “rules/consequences” and societal behavior is so obvious yet so disregarded.... :confused::confused:

[Cat Herder]

48, now.

48 9/28/2018 Sanford, FL 95° Kit Noelle Pollard 1 yr
47 9/28/2018 Oak Ridge, FL 93° Logan Starling 4 yr


1. "According to an arrest report, Pollard forgot to take her daughter to daycare Friday morning and left her in the vehicle for seven hours as temperatures climbed above 90 degrees.

A Florida woman has been charged with negligent manslaughter in the death of her 1-year-old daughter, who was left in a hot car all day. The mother drove to Olive Garden to pick up dinner and then stopped for gas when she realized her daughter was in the rear-facing car seat in the back, according to the arrest report. https://abc13.com/mother-charged-aft...t-car/4382102/ "

2. "Elite Preparatory Academy Principal Hong Steele said Logan Starling's stepmother quit her job at the school after receiving multiple death threats made by phone, by email and on social media.

She said threats have also been made against the school since the pre-K student's death Friday.

"We still are heartbroken," Steele said. "It feels like we're all in a dream."

>> On WFTV.com: Deputies: Boy, 4, dies after being found in SUV parked outside school

She said many of her staff members have sought counseling.

"He had unconditional love," Steele said. "It's hard for us to talk about this, because he was everything to us. This is a horrific accident, and we can't make sense of it."

She said Logan's teacher didn't question marking him absent Friday, because he had been out sick Thursday.

When Logan's teacher saw his stepmother at dismissal, she mentioned that she had missed having him in class.

Logan's stepmother panicked, ran to her SUV and collapsed, Steele said.

Teachers called 911 and the school's director grabbed Logan's body and ran him to a fire station across the street.

The Florida Department of Children and Families said it is still investigating how the boy was left in the vehicle in which he rode to school with two adults and five siblings.

The agency said it has a history with the family, but it wouldn't elaborate." - https://www.easy1029.com/news/nation...ZxgDgnVIzGzHP/

[happymom]

that second story

I can feel the emotions of the mom and the staff through that article and just can't handle it.

[Cat Herder]

A Texas judge has sentenced a mom to 40 years in prison for the hot car deaths of her two toddler daughters.

Amanda Hawkins, 20, was sentenced Wednesday, about three months after she pleaded guilty to child abandonment and endangerment charges in the June 2017 deaths of her daughters, Brynn Hawkins, 1, and Addyson Overgard-Eddy, 2, in Kerrville.

Authorities said Hawkins left the girls in the car outside a Kerrville home overnight as she socialized and smoked marijuana with friends June 6 to 7, 2017,

Prosecutors said the girls had been in the car about 15 hours when Hawkins retrieved them, bathing them and Googling heat stroke treatments before taking them to a hospital, the Daily Times reported.

Hawkins initially told hospital workers that the girls had collapsed while smelling flowers, but her story "wasn't quite adding up," physician Daniel Gebhard said.

Doctors pronounced the girls dead June 8. - https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-...nvv3Ewc2Uj9PQQ

[happymom]

Unfathomable.
How could someone do that to their precious daughters?

[Josiegirl]

That's such a sad story. Why oh why???? Left her 2 dds in the car overnight while she partied with friends. :confused: Hope she had a really good time because the next 40 years will be hell for her. I just cannot understand how and why in these situations.

[Blackcat31]

https://www.fox10tv.com/news/my-heart-is-broken-father-remembers-toddler-allegedly-left-in/article_13bd4f0c-5d90-11e9-8b60-0396991a6d11.html

PERDIDO KEY, Fla. (WALA) - The father of a 2-year-old girl who police say died after her mother left her in a van for several hours spoke of his devastation Friday, as he works to understand his daughter's tragic death.

Joy Monell-Merritt died Wednesday afternoon after police say her mother, Jessica Monell, left her inside a van for several hours while Monell was inside her Perdido Key apartment sleeping. Joy, investigators say, was in the scorching hot van for several hours.

"My heart is broken," Joy's father, Donald Merritt said. "Something I'm really having a hard time trying to compute, it doesn't make any sense."

Merritt says he shared a special bond with his daughter - a bond built on friendship and love.

"I don't think anyone has ever taught me that much about life in such a short time; about what love is," Merritt said. "She had a huge heart."

Monell remains behind bars, charged with aggravated manslaughter, child neglect, and three counts of drug possession. Merritt, despite his disbelief with the circumstances surrounding his daughter's death, knows the tragedy was a horrible accident.

Merritt says Joy's family intends on having a private service to remember her life.

[Mike]

Here we go again. Now that summer is returning, there will probably be another 20 or 30 children dying slow horrible deaths.

[Cat Herder]

I just started the 2019 thread.

The total number of children lost in 2018 was 52. One of the highest numbers recorded.


# Date City Temp Name Age
52 9/28/2018 Sanford, FL 95° Kit Noelle Pollard 1 yr
51 9/28/2018 Oak Ridge, FL 93° Logan Starling 4 yr
50 9/16/2018 Humble, TX 90° Alicia Esquivel 2 yr
49 9/11/2018 Moraga, CA 81° Lily Aracic 19 mo
48 9/8/2018 Dillon, SC 91° Jonah Ayden Matthews 3 yr
47 9/6/2018 Athens, TX 93° Girl 6 mo
46 9/6/2018 Florence, SC 96° Dean Emerson Coward 7 mo
45 9/5/2018 Daleville, IN 93° Jaxon Stults 2 yr
44 9/4/2018 Zanesville, OH 93° Boy 1 mo
43 8/28/2018 Coram, NY 91° Adrianna C. Celenza 11 yr
42 8/26/2018 Rock Hill, SC 90° Lamartray Adams Jr. 2 yr
41 8/23/2018 Huntsville, AL 86° Lexi 2 yr
40 8/17/2018 Spring Hill, FL 94° Keyton O'Callaghan 9 mo
39 8/12/2018 Goshen, KY 89° Nishchay Patel 3 yr
38 8/11/2018 Cape Girardeau, MO 91° Girl 10 wks
37 8/10/2018 Emporia, VA 90° Dameer Curry 6 mo
36 8/8/2018 Goochland County, VA 93° Riaan Gondesi 17 mo
35 8/2/2018 El Reno. OK 90° Ryker Daniel Kolar 3 yr
34 7/23/2018 New Albany, IN 90° Aiden Miller 3 mo
33 7/19/2018 Houston, TX 93° Raymond Pryer 3 yr
32 7/19/2018 West Haven, CT 79° Dusan Jenkins 4 yr
31 7/14/2018 Medina, OH 93° Girl 6 mo
30 7/13/2018 Pembroke Pines, FL 93° Eli Douglas Bird 17 mo
29 7/9/2018 Sweetwater, TN 87° Greg Puckett 3 yr
28 7/7/2018 South Sacramento, CA 95° Alejandro Lopez Jr. 2 yr
27 7/4/2018 Clay County, MO 94° Ireland Ribano 2 yr
26 7/4/2018 Clay County, MO 94° Goodnight Ribano 7 wks
25 7/4/2018 Moniteau County, MO 95° Girl 5 yr
24 6/29/2018 Frankfort, KY 91° Calvin Hedges 3 yr
23 6/26/2018 Glendive, MT 81° Caleb Hopkins 2 yr
22 6/21/2018 Roseburg, OR 81° Remington Engler 21 mo
21 6/21/2018 Harrah, OK 91° Maddox Ryan Durbin 5 yr
20 6/20/2018 Willits, CA 80° Chergery Teywoh Lew Mays 18 mo
19 6/19/2018 Kingsland, GA 92° Slade Edison Horne 7 mo
18 6/15/2018 Spartanburg, SC 91° King Trammel 18 mo
17 6/14/2018 Vancleave, MS 89° Kash Barhonovich 10 mo
16 6/9/2018 Crittenden, KY 95° Lillian Danielle Kerr 2 yr
15 6/8/2018 Raleigh, NC 87° Hakeem Mussa 7 mo
14 6/4/2018 Baytown, TX 91° Maria Solorio 9 mo
13 6/3/2018 Anderson, IN 90° Hannah Grace Miller 3 yr
12 5/31/2018 Pelzer, SC 85° Joe Avery James Lockaby 18 mo
11 5/23/2018 East Nashville, TN 90° Katera Barker 1 yr
10 5/18/2018 Andalusia, AL 91° Laila Marie Dees 4 yr
9 5/16/2018 Eagle Pass, TX 99° Girl 7 mo
8 5/15/2018 Shreveport, LA 91° Addyson Blackburn 6 mo
7 5/10/2018 Chesterfield, VA 83° Girl 5 mo
6 5/10/2018 Chesterfield, VA 83° Boy 5 mo
5 5/3/2018 Waterford, CT 87° Christopher Kenneth Bosselman 5 yr
4 4/3/2018 North Charleston, SC 84° Jack Duggan 10 mo
3 3/26/2018 Superior, AZ 71° Lorenzo Michael Velasquez 2 yr
2 3/262018 Superior, AZ 71° Brooklyn Velasquez 9 mo
1 2/28/2018 Miami, FL 81° Damon Cruz 1 yr

[Blackcat31]

42, now.

42 9/5/2018 Daleville, IN 93° Boy 2 yr


[I]"The child, later identified as Jaxon Stults, died before arriving at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie. A deputy coroner was called to the hospital. His death is believe to be heat related.

Police later arrested the child's mother, 28-year-old Britni Wihebrink.

Wihebrink faces a charge of neglect of a dependent and is being held in the Delaware County Jail on a $50,000 bond. - https://www.wishtv.com/news/local-ne...lle/1421474095 "

She was sentenced to 30 years

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/indiana-mom-whose-toddler-son-died-in-hot-car-while-she-was-intoxicated-gets-30-years-in-prison/ar-BB17qgBz?ocid=msedgdhp

[Cat Herder]

She was sentenced to 30 years

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...?ocid=msedgdhp

Wow. I really did not see that coming.

[Ariana]

She was sentenced to 30 years

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...?ocid=msedgdhp

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