Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

[Blzer]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

Thanks. I wasn't sure if he could legally find himself lightening his sentence if the child was still alive when he called, but it sounds like he can't.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

There are definitely several possibilities. Its something that likely happens all the time to others. People get lost in their own thoughts and forget some of the most important things.

Hopefully the guy wasn't high, but either way its sad and unfortunate. All we can do is speculate.

The bolded is what I'm getting at.

This wasn't a bag of McDonld's that he left in the backseat. It was a 7-month old.

I'm not condemning the guy. Just seriously questioning things that we do.

Maybe he really had to go to the bathroom. Maybe he wanted to play a videogame. Maybe he just wanted to get inside and smoke. I don't know.

It's just that is our brains just so fried with a lack of attention span that we can forget a baby in a car? I've always heard of a parent running into a store and leaving their kid in the car because they just thought they'd be quick. This isn't the case.

I just feel bad imagining the funeral for this child. People are seriously going to be like this all could have been avoided.

I don't know. Just bugs me.

[Blzer]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

No real world example I give will equate to this man did, but...

I've had instances where I was not noticed for hours on end. My mom once forgot that I was even in the car on a long-distance carpool road trip. There were seven of us in an SUV, I was in the back with two others, there were two in the middle, and my mom was in the passenger seat with the other adult (who was driving). They're sharing stories, and my mom started to tell a story about me. She said something along the lines of: "I forget exactly what happened, I'd ask him if he was in the car...". I had to speak up and tell her I was there with her. It nearly spooked her.

Then there's my dad, who's a night owl and always works graveyard shifts. When he gets home he will sometimes plop on the couch, put blankets over him, and goes into hibernation. If I enter the house, I might plop onto the same couch next to a wad of blankets and watch TV for hours. I do an inventory check on which family members are in the house, as well as which family members should be in the house. By all accounts, my dad should have been home, but I was led to believe he was not. It didn't occur to me that he was right next to me on the couch all along. This happens more often than you'd think.

I've triple-checked that I've locked a door or turned off a propane tank, put my dishes in the washer or closed the garage. Yet, no matter my assurance, I always seem to have recalled one of these events incorrectly, or tied it in with a different memory. Devon could have had so many things on his plate, assured himself that he double-checked, or wouldn't you believe it... forgot his child was in the car with him after a silent drip to the daycare center and back. It happens. I'm not excusing his action, but I'm believing it. I'm not trying to get him off for anything, but I'm realizing human error when I see it. The only reason I'm saying this is because I don't want people to think this couldn't happen to them, no matter how considerate they are for their possessions or family members. We are not exempt to such a mistake, and we have to be extra careful. A lot of these people who have this happen to them take that for granted.

Trust me, it bugs all of us too. I don't think you can accept what happened (neither can any of us), but I hope you can at the very least put your head around it.

[AUChase]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

Another example is parents losing their children in big stores. That happens all the time and it wouldn't be hard for someone to abduct them. I have one of the best mothers anyone could ever ask for and she would do anything for me and never do anything to harm me in any way, but I was lost in Wal Mart once when I was a little kid. I'm sure she was just shopping and I was acting dumb and hiding in clothes racks or something.

I think this story should teach us all, even if we don't have children, to be more observant in our every day life. I lose my mind sometimes just driving home from work because It's typically an hour long drive and I get consumed by a good podcast or sports talk in the afternoon.

[NDAlum]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

I just feel bad imagining the funeral for this child. People are seriously going to be like this all could have been avoided.

I don't know. Just bugs me.

I've seen toddler body bags, the exist.

Also, ummmm it could have been avoided.

If I ever killed my own child due to my negligence I would just want to kill myself. There would be no reason for me to live. I don't think I woul be able to resume normal day-to-day activities without the thought of killing my child consuming me.

[Blzer]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

If I ever killed my own child due to my negligence I would just want to kill myself. There would be no reason for me to live. I don't think I woul be able to resume normal day-to-day activities without the thought of killing my child consuming me.

Couldn't agree more. I'd try my best to live, though. As much as everything in the world could suck, I would also like to be alive.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

Another example is parents losing their children in big stores. That happens all the time and it wouldn't be hard for someone to abduct them. I have one of the best mothers anyone could ever ask for and she would do anything for me and never do anything to harm me in any way, but I was lost in Wal Mart once when I was a little kid. I'm sure she was just shopping and I was acting dumb and hiding in clothes racks or something.

I think this story should teach us all, even if we don't have children, to be more observant in our every day life. I lose my mind sometimes just driving home from work because It's typically an hour long drive and I get consumed by a good podcast or sports talk in the afternoon.

See, I've thought of this case (not a big store, but an amusement park).

That's different IMO. Hundreds of people around. Thousands of distractions.

This guy was alone. Just the two of them.

His mind was elsewhere.

[PadresFan]

This happened last month in San Diego... Same type of thing... Good ole tweakers reproducing....

http://m.nbcsandiego.com/nbcsandiego/pm_107837/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=bPLINfxb

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[VDusen04]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

No real world example I give will equate to this man did, but...

I've had instances where I was not noticed for hours on end. My mom once forgot that I was even in the car on a long-distance carpool road trip. There were seven of us in an SUV, I was in the back with two others, there were two in the middle, and my mom was in the passenger seat with the other adult (who was driving). They're sharing stories, and my mom started to tell a story about me. She said something along the lines of: "I forget exactly what happened, I'd ask him if he was in the car...". I had to speak up and tell her I was there with her. It nearly spooked her.

Then there's my dad, who's a night owl and always works graveyard shifts. When he gets home he will sometimes plop on the couch, put blankets over him, and goes into hibernation. If I enter the house, I might plop onto the same couch next to a wad of blankets and watch TV for hours. I do an inventory check on which family members are in the house, as well as which family members should be in the house. By all accounts, my dad should have been home, but I was led to believe he was not. It didn't occur to me that he was right next to me on the couch all along. This happens more often than you'd think.

I've triple-checked that I've locked a door or turned off a propane tank, put my dishes in the washer or closed the garage. Yet, no matter my assurance, I always seem to have recalled one of these events incorrectly, or tied it in with a different memory. Devon could have had so many things on his plate, assured himself that he double-checked, or wouldn't you believe it... forgot his child was in the car with him after a silent drip to the daycare center and back. It happens. I'm not excusing his action, but I'm believing it. I'm not trying to get him off for anything, but I'm realizing human error when I see it. The only reason I'm saying this is because I don't want people to think this couldn't happen to them, no matter how considerate they are for their possessions or family members. We are not exempt to such a mistake, and we have to be extra careful. A lot of these people who have this happen to them take that for granted.

Trust me, it bugs all of us too. I don't think you can accept what happened (neither can any of us), but I hope you can at the very least put your head around it.

I'm with you here. Every story is unique and there's no doubt limitless examples of folks who are willingly negligent, and maybe that could be the case with this guy here. But I also think crazy things can inexplicably occur to all of us no matter how hard we try, just as in your three examples.

Basically, I guess I'm just saying I believe in waiting for stories like these to shake out in terms of passing judgment on those involved. It's not always as simple as deducting that a person must be really dumb or ignorant in order to have something so terrible happen.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

I'm with you here. Every story is unique and there's no doubt limitless examples of folks who are willingly negligent, and maybe that could be the case with this guy here. But I also think crazy things can inexplicably occur to all of us no matter how hard we try, just as in your three examples.

Basically, I guess I'm just saying I believe in waiting for stories like these to shake out in terms of passing judgment on those involved. It's not always as simple as deducting that a person must be really dumb or ignorant in order to have something so terrible happen.

Never passed judgement on the guy. Just trying to find out/extremely puzzled wondering how stuff like this happens.

From PadresFan link:

According to a study from the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco University, there have been at least 24 deaths of children left unattended in vehicles so far this year. In 2012, that number was 33.

Blzer was right. Happens more often than I realized. But like I said, I thought most happened when a parent left the child in a car knowingly. This guy didn't (or at least it appears that way).

[NDAlum]

There is only one person that knows if he left that child in the car knowingly or not. He's charged with negligent homicide and pleasing not guilty.

I don't know whether or not he did.


Sent from my iPhone 5

[VDusen04]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

Never passed judgement on the guy. Just trying to find out/extremely puzzled wondering how stuff like this happens.

Yeah my fault, I wasn't intending to refer to any of you guys here. I was just generally speaking. I somehow let myself read the comments at the end of news stories and no matter who does what, negligently, accidentally, or otherwise, there's always at least some corner of comments who believe the person in question should be jailed for life (or worse).

[Dirty Turtles]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

I've never forgotten that my kids were in the car with me. I have however forgotten that my kids were not in the car on occasion. You get so used to carting them around and not being able to crank up the speakers.

[Brandwin]

I can't imagine ever forgetting your kids are in the car. I just don't understand how something like that can happen.

[Splitter77]

Re: Help me to understand this news story- father & infant son

before i had my kid, I would never understand this.
But now, after I had my first kid, I could see myself doing this. She is 8 months old, and I have already started walking into the house without her at least 3 or 4 times. if the baby is a asleep back there, you always forget. I have even started putting my cellphone in the back seat just so i remember now.

not sure what this guys deal is, but i can see it happening. Im just so use to being on the move and i never sit still, that i could get caught up in stuff, then realize i left my kid in the car.