I'm going to leave a few details out for
the sake of discussion, but tell me what
you think so far:
(True story, current event.)
Mother leaves child in car for eight hours
on one of our very, very hot days.
Child dies.
Is there any reason that would make it so
she is not criminally charged with
any crime?
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young Girl
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 13932 Location: everythings better in, texas USA
Posted: 08-30-07 12:29pm
HELL NO
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Birch
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Posted: 08-30-07 12:34pm
the_girlfreind
wrote:
HELL NO
Tell us how you really feel, Suzy!!
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Jules
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Posted: 08-30-07 12:40pm
Did the woman collapse and fall
unconcsious and so was unable to remove
her child from the car?
Was she mentally ill?
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young Girl
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 13932 Location: everythings better in, texas USA
Posted: 08-30-07 12:40pm
lol
well that makes me extremely upset of
course
but how is there any possible way that she
didnt get charged and go to jail for this?
i just dont see how she could walk away
from something like that!
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Birch
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Posted: 08-30-07 12:43pm
Jules
wrote:
Did the woman collapse and
fall unconcsious and so was unable to
remove her child from the car?
Was she mentally
ill?
No to all of the above.
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Jules
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Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 3757 Location: Merrie Englande, UK
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Posted: 08-30-07 12:52pm
Birch
wrote:
Jules
wrote:
Did the woman collapse and
fall unconcsious and so was unable to
remove her child from the car?
Was she mentally
ill?
No to all of the
above.
Maybe she was on medication that made her
forget? Oh I don't know, I'm clutching at
straws but I'm sorry, I believe someone
who lets a DOG die in a hot car should be
prosecuted so this woman should most
definitely be sent down for a long, long
time.
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Tmddyan
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Hey Posted: 08-30-07 12:53pm
to me that is irresponsable----i think
they said she forgot she had a kid---how
do you just up and forget you had a baby?
This story made me so mad ----still does.
Im so mad i could spit!(ok that probably
wouldnt make me feel better)
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sillyakchick
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Posted: 08-30-07 12:55pm
This happened at a local hospital here a
few years back. Mother does not usually
drop child off before work. Mother
forgets to drop child off before work
because child is quitely slin back of car
in car seat. Mother goes to wiork, parks
car, pulls a full shift as an RN, gets
back to her carr and is horrified to find
her child dead in back seat of car. I am
not excusing, but I can TOTALLY see how
this could heppen.
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Birch
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More Details... Posted: 08-30-07 13:14pm
Yes, sillyakchick (It's Geneva, right?),
that's similar to what happened here.
Were criminal charges pressed in the RN
incident?
------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
More info on this incident:
The mother is an assistant principal who
went to school with her two year old in
the car seat. She was in meetings all
day.
She "forgot". It was an "accident".
As of now, it is up in the air if she will
be charged with reckless endangerment.
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sillyakchick
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Posted: 08-30-07 13:20pm
Birch,
It's Heather. Geneva is my offfspring.
No criminal charges were filed in the
incident. Personally, I don't think
criminal charges could have made the poor
woman feel any worse about her situation
than she already did. I compare this to
accidentally running over your kid inthe
driveway. It's a horrible thing, but
sometimes it happens.
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Birch
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Posted: 08-30-07 13:29pm
Hey, I was 50% right?
Since criminal charges aren't really about
making someone feel worse than they
already do, and she has killed a child,
shouldn't something be done?
If I have a lapse in judgement and do
something idiotic like run a red light,
hit another car, and kill the driver, I'm
going to be charged with something whether
or not my past driving history is kosher,
or how I feel. I really was just an fool
for a minute, it was a pure accident.
In this situation, people are commenting
because the car in question is a Mercedes
Benz SUV, the family is very affluent, and
the area of town is predominantly
Caucasian upper middle class.
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*star*
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Posted: 08-30-07 13:48pm
I think that regardless if she "forgot"
that her child was in the back seat or
not, she should still be charged. That is
neglegence no matter how you look at it.
It seems like it could be a plausible
scenario and quite a believable one, but
the fact still remains that you forgot
about your child and that is being
negligent.
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sillyakchick
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Posted: 08-30-07 13:57pm
Birch
wrote:
Hey, I was 50% right?
Since criminal charges aren't really about
making someone feel worse than they
already do, and she has killed a child,
shouldn't something be done?
If I have a lapse in judgement and do
something idiotic like run a red light,
hit another car, and kill the driver, I'm
going to be charged with something whether
or not my past driving history is kosher,
or how I feel. I really was just an fool
for a minute, it was a pure accident.
In this situation, people are commenting
because the car in question is a Mercedes
Benz SUV, the family is very affluent, and
the area of town is predominantly
Caucasian upper middle
class.
Sometimes i think that the punishment is
also meant to give the family some
satisfaction. In this case, it wasn't
someone else's child, it was her own. I
don't really know how I feel about this,
except i am horrified and sorry for the
family every time it does. What
punishment would seem most fitting? As
long as it wasn't intentional, we can rule
out the obvious, homicide, child abuse,
etc. Neglect maybe. Neglect resulting in
death? Involuntary manslaughter? I don't
know, but think about the rest of her
family. If she were to go to jail, not
only is the remainng family left without a
brother/son/etc, but now their mother is
gone too. And the wife of the man who
lost his child.
If I accidentally ran over my neighbor's
kid as i was backing out of the driveway,
and they decide not to press charges
because it was an accident, a mistake,
canteh state still prosecute, or do they
let it drop? I just don't know.
If this were something a person did on
purpose "Oh I thought He's be safe in his
car seat while I went to work/went
shopping, etc" then I definitely think
that's a different story.
Personally, I don't care what she did for
a living, and I don't think that should be
a factor in the end result at all. (but it
always seems to be). Is that the crux of
the story here? Nobody wants her to be
punished because she was wealthy and was a
high ranking school official?
Wasn't there a woman who left her kid in
the car to work at McDonald's and her kid
died? What became of that woman?
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Birch
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Musing a Little Posted: 08-30-07 14:14pm
I believe the state can still press
charges regardless of the wishes of the
family. I think that is taken into
account at sentencing, but it depends on
the law/judges/circumstances.
I feel bad for her and her family, too,
but pure accidents get 'punished'
criminally all the time.
If she doesn't get charged, then what is
the point of the criminal justice system?
I mean, I could feel as bad as anything in
the scenario I made up above, but I'm
still going to get charged. I guess
parents are given some kind of special
leniency?
You'd think prolife advocates would be
crawling all over this kind of story.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 08-30-07 22:34pm
I still feel she should be punished. Not a
horrible long time in jail or anything
like that, but... god, can you imagine
that incident from the viewpoint of the
child? Absolutely terrifying, and just
about one of the most painful ways to die,
both emotionally and mentally. Just trying
to imagine that makes me want to puke and
cry and convulse. If I was that mother, I
would want to be SHOT. I would want to die
for doing that to my child. I would have a
hard time living on; they'd have to commit
me. So, I feel the mother should be
punished.
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sillyakchick
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Posted: 08-31-07 09:40am
If it was me, my greif would be
immeasurable and I too would want to die.
It is truly awful.
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Birch
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More to the Story... Posted: 08-31-07 11:16am
Security cameras at the school show the
mother returning to her car one time
during this eight hour period, to retrieve
doughnuts from the back of her car, right next to
her daughter's seat.
Okay, obviously something is going on, a
mental issue or something.
They are still up in the air if they are
going to charge her with a crime!!
OK If she went to the vehicle once and got
donuts that were sitting right next to her
then it was not an unfortunate accident.
My guess is that this woman is sick or
incredibly stupid. I am horrified! How
could she do that INTENTIONALLY! I can't
even think about it without getting sick
to my stomach!
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Jules
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Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 3757 Location: Merrie Englande, UK
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Posted: 08-31-07 13:18pm
Oh God that's just so awful. I can't
imagine what was going on there with the
mother.
That poor little girl - god it just makes
me cry, thinking of how she must have
suffered - I bet all she wanted was her
mommy to come and help her and that's the
one person who bloody neglected her.
For a child to die alone and in pain like
that makes me feel physically sick and SO
SO ANGRY.
