WELCOME! I am starting this blog because I personally witnessed a baby left in a van on a warm day...all windows up, all doors locked. The baby was crying & apparently struggling because we heard a knocking or tapping on the inside of the van but we couldn't see the baby (all windows darkly tinted) . We conjectured that the baby was flailing its arms and hit the inside of the van.
It was at a public library and as I was leaving a young man came up to me and said "I think I hear a baby crying in that van" and asked me to verify if I heard it too. Sure enough, I heard it and after trying the doors and not able to get inside the van (without breaking a window, which I was prepared to do ) we went into the library and told the main desk and they made an announcement.
We went back outside, and shortly later a lady came out and opened the van. Turns out that this was a daycare center transportation van and they had taken all the children inside for a show at the library but had forgotten the 2-yo baby (apparently classified as a "toddler" at that age in california). The lady leaned into the van and was checking on the baby but a library employee was blocking us from also looking in.
Nor did this library employee make an effort to look at the baby to see if it was okay. There was no noise. The baby was not crying. Was it alive? Brain damaged? How long had the baby been in there? These were all questions going thru my mind at the time and were NOT answered. The library employee (who I will simply say, frankly, is a jerk) seemed more intent on giving the lady her "right to privacy" rather than verifying the welfare of the baby.
The lady never pulled the baby out but simply said, "He's okay" , at which point the library employee said, "You heard it, the baby is okay. That's it." And continued to block the aisle between the van and the car next to it. He's the type of person who is very controlling and if I insisted on seeing the baby or stepped toward him I suspect he would have tried to create a conflict and get ME in trouble rather than anything else.
So to avoid a conflict I backed away and watched from a distance. I took a few photos of the lady by the van (baby still inside) and some of the daycare kids coming out of the library. And I got the license plate. The library never reported the incident. I called the police a few minutes later and they went to the daycare center with paramedics and did a check on the baby.
But the lady lied to the police officer and said that an adult had been in the van with the baby at all times. When the cop called me back and told me what she said I informed him that they were lying to him and told him to check with the library staff. Apparently he did so and the case was reported to social services (not only by him but me as well), and they shut down the daycare and on 9/4/14 I testified at a social services hearing as to what I observed.
The lady was appealing the shut down of the daycare center. She apparently admitted that she lied to the police officer but was asking for a second chance. I don't know what the judge decided...sometimes it can be up to a month before they make a written decision.Anyways, that's my personal story & experience. I'm glad I wasn't the one who left my baby or pet in a car.
I hope the judge makes a fair decision for this lady. If she's a deceptive person who cannot be trusted on a regular basis that's one thing; if she made a rash, panicked, decision to be dishonest on a one-time basis maybe that can be forgiven once? Maybe she learned her lesson?
Or is she the type of person who will say whatever needs to be said in order to get out of consequences? I hope the judge has the discernment to make the right decision based on all the facts & information.
This is a person entrusted to the
It was at a public library and as I was leaving a young man came up to me and said "I think I hear a baby crying in that van" and asked me to verify if I heard it too. Sure enough, I heard it and after trying the doors and not able to get inside the van (without breaking a window, which I was prepared to do ) we went into the library and told the main desk and they made an announcement.
We went back outside, and shortly later a lady came out and opened the van. Turns out that this was a daycare center transportation van and they had taken all the children inside for a show at the library but had forgotten the 2-yo baby (apparently classified as a "toddler" at that age in california). The lady leaned into the van and was checking on the baby but a library employee was blocking us from also looking in.
Nor did this library employee make an effort to look at the baby to see if it was okay. There was no noise. The baby was not crying. Was it alive? Brain damaged? How long had the baby been in there? These were all questions going thru my mind at the time and were NOT answered. The library employee (who I will simply say, frankly, is a jerk) seemed more intent on giving the lady her "right to privacy" rather than verifying the welfare of the baby.
The lady never pulled the baby out but simply said, "He's okay" , at which point the library employee said, "You heard it, the baby is okay. That's it." And continued to block the aisle between the van and the car next to it. He's the type of person who is very controlling and if I insisted on seeing the baby or stepped toward him I suspect he would have tried to create a conflict and get ME in trouble rather than anything else.
So to avoid a conflict I backed away and watched from a distance. I took a few photos of the lady by the van (baby still inside) and some of the daycare kids coming out of the library. And I got the license plate. The library never reported the incident. I called the police a few minutes later and they went to the daycare center with paramedics and did a check on the baby.
But the lady lied to the police officer and said that an adult had been in the van with the baby at all times. When the cop called me back and told me what she said I informed him that they were lying to him and told him to check with the library staff. Apparently he did so and the case was reported to social services (not only by him but me as well), and they shut down the daycare and on 9/4/14 I testified at a social services hearing as to what I observed.
The lady was appealing the shut down of the daycare center. She apparently admitted that she lied to the police officer but was asking for a second chance. I don't know what the judge decided...sometimes it can be up to a month before they make a written decision.Anyways, that's my personal story & experience. I'm glad I wasn't the one who left my baby or pet in a car.
I hope the judge makes a fair decision for this lady. If she's a deceptive person who cannot be trusted on a regular basis that's one thing; if she made a rash, panicked, decision to be dishonest on a one-time basis maybe that can be forgiven once? Maybe she learned her lesson?
Or is she the type of person who will say whatever needs to be said in order to get out of consequences? I hope the judge has the discernment to make the right decision based on all the facts & information.
This is a person entrusted to the
welfare of numerous children from very young to what looked like eight-year-old kids as well.
And so, based on all the above and reading about kids and babies left in cars ...many of whom died, I decided to start this blog dedicated to informing, educating, and updating information about the DANGER of LEAVING CHILDREN (& PETS) IN VEHICLES, NOT ONLY ON WARM & HOT DAYS but even on what seems like a cool 60-degree day.
I will be posting links that talk more about these subjects and hope you browse thru them. There's also one particular link that caught my eye about how to REMIND YOURSELF that a baby is in the back of the car (if you are the forgetful type of person).
Take off one of your shoes and put it in back with the baby before you drive. You won't get out of the car with one shoe on will you ?
I will be posting links that talk more about these subjects and hope you browse thru them. There's also one particular link that caught my eye about how to REMIND YOURSELF that a baby is in the back of the car (if you are the forgetful type of person).
Take off one of your shoes and put it in back with the baby before you drive. You won't get out of the car with one shoe on will you ?
Once again, thanks for browsing this blog and please keep your children (& pets) with you when you leave your car!
