Toddler dies after being left in hot van - 'criminal charges to be filed' against Daycare Center

The Dallas Morning News ^ | June 3, 2003 | By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Toddler dies after being left in hot van

06/03/2003

By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News

A 2-year-old left inside a hot daycare van in Lancaster for more than two hours on Friday died early Tuesday.

The boy, whose name has not yet been released, had been in critical condition at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. He died about 12:15 a.m., hospital officials said.

Police said the boy and nine other children had returned from a field trip to a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant about 1 p.m. Workers realized that he was still strapped in a car seat inside the van about 3:25 p.m. and called 911. Temperatures topped 100 degrees Friday afternoon.

Representatives for the Little Dudes and Daisies Daycare and Learning Center on North Dallas Avenue could not be reached for comment.

Lancaster police have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to announce criminal charges to be filed in the case.

The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the agency that regulates daycares, is also investigating.

“[Police] are evaluating the incident,” said Stacey Ladd, a department spokeswoman. “Mostly, we’re evaluating the safety of the children. Obviously, we’re working closely together.”

---

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/060303dnmettotdies.804ccad3.html

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

arrggg .. the above post is pretty jumbled.. clicked before i meant to .. sorry

[Corin Stormhands]

The mother of this child certainly deserves a big share of the blame - the child was HER responsibility, but the odds are she was too obsessed with the pursuit of material things to even consider staying home and raising the child she brought into this world.

How do you know she was pursuing material things? Perhaps she was a single mom, pursuing food and clothing for her child.

No one denies that it's better for the mom's to keep the kids at home. But it's not always possible. And it's not always because Mom (or Dad) wants more stuff.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I never lock my keys in the car but I would have broken the window too. I once jimmied someone's car to get a dog in
distress out. Then I sent a friend for water. We sat there beside the car rehydrating the dog til the owner got back. It seems she was only going in the store for a few minutes but it ended up being an hour. I suggested that next time she leave the dog at home. She thanked us and tried to pay us. We turned down the money and reminded her how close her dog had been to a painful death. If it had been a child I would have held it til the cops got there. If you don't have any sense, please let someone else repopulate the world. We have enough stupid people already.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Your comment reminds me of a Catholic family who was very poor and owed a great deal of debt in their small farming community. They were barely scraping by, times were really lean. And on an outing in their little rural village, a person in the town admonished this mother, for being pregnant with her third child, saying that the family couldn't afford the family that they did have, why did they have another child?

Sometimes pregnancy happens, and a woman does have to struggle with her choices. Such criticism is extremely harsh. I do know that many women have to work, today. But, it is sometimes hard to justify those women who do work, when it is not a necessity.

[MeekOneGOP]

Re #13 & 16:

Yep, it's a shame alright. I think the article I posted Saturday from the Friday incident said the little fella had a 108 degree temperature. I was afraid of this.

[Under the Radar]

How do you know she was pursuing material things? Perhaps she was a single mom, pursuing food and clothing for her child.

Too many women are single by choice, and expect to get the same pass as widows used to get. Sorry, if you are a divorcee or, worse yet, never been married, what right do you have to sympathy when it comes to having to work from the moment the child is 6 weeks old? Yes, you have to work to support the child, and yes, the child suffers for it.

[annyokie]

When my oldest was an infant, I locked him in the car as it was my habit to always lock the car when I exited it. He was only six weeks old and I realized what I had done when I walked around to open the passenger door to get him out.

Fortunately, it was November and I was in my mother's neighborhood (she was to come home for lunch) and I found a neighbor to call AAA for me. My son slept through the whole thing.

Stuff can happen to anyone. Even very bad stuff.

[annyokie]

That was a great documentary called "The Farmer's Wife" about a young family in Nebraska.

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

><> discussing women who choose to be single, such as by divorce <><

well, aren't we condescending?? lol.

I have NO intentions of explaining to you what led me to the "choice" to get myself and my kids out of that marriage .. and the divorce isn't final .. yet.

But the fact of the matter is, I HAVE to put my daughter in daycare right now, so I looked for the best one that I could find, then gave up some things to afford it, and will do everything I can to be a "part" of that daycare.

So go "condescend" somewhere else..

[Under the Radar]

So go "condescend" somewhere else... As you wish.

Your marriage must have been something awful if it was enough to make you pay other people to raise your children.

[Corin Stormhands]

Sorry, if you are a divorcee or, worse yet, never been married, what right do you have to sympathy when it comes to having to work from the moment the child is 6 weeks old?

Well, I'm not divorced. I'm a married father of two. And yes, when my wife teaches part-time (in an academy for homeschoolers), our youngest is in daycare three days a week.

But I'm amazed at the attitudes of the "family friendly" around here. What if a woman's husband got drunk and beat the crap out of her every night? Is it okay for her to leave and put the child in daycare? Or should she stay and cover up the bruises just to be able to be a stay-at-home mom?

People around here are even harsher on the single moms who rely on welfare.

Who among us has not made some bad choices? Mom's are single for lots of reasons. Some of their own choosing. Some not.

Kids are in daycare for lots of reasons. Some selfish. Some not.

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

glad you could see that..

[Pan_Yans Wife]

One of my favorites... and I was pleased later to learn that the wife did complete her education, remained with her husband, and that the family was doing very well. May God bless them! They certainly taught me a great deal about sacrifice.

[Corin Stormhands]

Your marriage must have been something awful if it was enough to make you pay other people to raise your children.

That statement is just plain rude and ignorant.

[myprecious]

How the heck does someone forget a child in a hot car?

I think the rash of kids toasted in cars has grown with the requirement to put the car sear in the back of the care. It is conceivable that the baby falls asleep and forgotten without being seen or heard. Day Care Parents are so rushed and not used to dealing with the kids every minute of the day. Out of sight, out of mind.

PLEASE do not misconstrue this as an excuse, just a theory as how something so horrific could happen.

My kids were always in the front seat, usually making noise (still do). I couldn't help but see them. Also I was a full time mom and my kids are still permanently attached to my hip. (Happy 14th birthday to my big girl. She loooves it when I say that in front of her friends.)

[Conspiracy Guy]

You and your husband have made a wise decision to wait or even not have children. I was the third of 6 children and my dad worked 2 - 3 jobs so mom could be home. Children are very expensive even more today than in the past. My ex and I could afford to drop her job and still have a house two cars and all the things we needed. We didn't live in a 6000 sq ft home and drive Mercedes. I know too many couples who's second income barely covers day care. I know couples who deprive their parents of their golden years by making them raise their children. IMHO If you don't have time to raise them, don't have them. I have seen many cases of successfully raising children through daycare but it was daycare that few middle income families could afford. NO ANSWER IS ALWAYS RIGHT, this is just my opinion.

[Under the Radar]

You raise some good points. I think it is similar to the abortion debate.

Many people would agree that there are some extreme circumstances when abortion would be acceptable, even if it were distasteful. Many would also agree that abortion-as-birth-control is deplorable.

The same with divorce. Most would agree that extreme circumstances may dictate divorce is necessary. We can all come up with examples of this. However, the low rates of domestic violence in this country do not jibe with our 50% divorce rates. Just like many women are using abortion as birth control, many women are divorcing for no good reason.

FR is notorious for being harsh on homosexuals, but the culture of divorce is much more brutal to children than gay pedophiles are. We should speak up about it, at least as much as we rail about the "homosexual agenda."

[Under the Radar]

That statement is just plain rude and ignorant.

I stand by it.

[annyokie]

I thought the segment where the two older daughters made her mac and cheese for her birthday supper was so sweet!

They must have beenn four and six at the time.