[iowamark]

These tragic stories happen much too regularly.

The parent forgets the child in the car while going to work. Did the same parent ever forget to go to work. Of course not. It shows our priorities.

[tips up]

Did this type of thing happen back in the 50’s, 60’s 70s like it does now? Maybe it did and we didn’t hear about it because it didn’t make the evening news. Or is it happening more now. Seems there are regular stories about a child or pet being left unattended in a car.

[Mr Rogers]

Actually, it shows how our brains work. Particularly when tired, we do many things on auto-pilot. That part of our brain allows us to function in complex scenarios, but it also screws things up badly when the scenario has a hiccup.

Many fatal accidents (including driving, plane crashes, sports accidents, etc)cause folks to ask, “What were they thinking?” - and in many cases, the answer is, “They weren’t.”

It isn’t malicious or even wrong. It is a function of how our brains enable us to handle daily life.

[jas3]

These tragic stories happen much too regularly.

The parent forgets the child in the car while going to work. Did the same parent ever forget to go to work. Of course not. It shows our priorities.

People forget to go to work all the time. They think it is Saturday, when it is Friday. Or they screw up because of a holiday midweek.

The bottom line is that people make mistakes about work, children, and life. Sometimes the mistake is forgetting your coffee on the roof of your car, sometimes it is leaving the gas pump in your car while you drive off, sometimes it is leaving a surgical sponge in a patient, sometimes it is amputating the wrong leg of a patient.

The saddest thing about this event is that the poor Mom will never forgive herself. She's much more likely to become an alcoholic, drug addict, or to kill herself one night, which compounds the loss.

jas3

[Fawn]

It shows our priorities.

Yeah...like having a job to support your family. I used to work with this guy who would take off or go home more than anyone. He always said 'his family came first'. I though....you idiot...your JOB comes first because without it you won't have a family life.

[RinaseaofDs]

Ever forget your laptop at home? Ever forget your wallet after you have shopped a full shopping cart?

I can easily see this happening when people get tired or distracted.

Guys like Bill Gates have turned the water on to draw a bath and flooded their bathrooms - he’s famous for stories like that.

It’s tragic.

[MHT]

Happened in St. Louis to a pediatrican and her medical researcher husband.