My God, this is so terribly sad... a reminder for all of us to remember how hot the interior of the car gets, and to never, ever leave a child or an animal in the car on a hot day.. not even for a few minutes.

Family to mourn loss of boy left in hot car


By Josh Rabe
Toddler was strapped into seat for an hour
STILLWATER - Friends and family will gather today to mourn the death of a 21-month-old boy who died Sunday in what police are describing as a tragic and senseless accident.
Banyan Blaze Roberts died Sunday at Stillwater Medical Center, where he was rushed after his father, Justin Roberts, realized the boy had been left strapped into a car seat for an hour after he had arrived home, Payne County Undersheriff Noel Bagwell said Wednesday.
A funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the First Baptist Church in Stillwater.
Child's temperature was 107.9 degrees
When deputies arrived at Justin and Cassie Roberts' trailer home at 6800 Oak Forest Circle about 6:45 p.m., paramedics were trying to revive the overheated child. Banyan's temperature had climbed to 107.9 degrees when he arrived at the hospital, according to the medical examiner's office. A temperature of 107 is usually considered lethal.
Bagwell said Roberts had parked his car that afternoon and brought two other children inside, where he became preoccupied while Banyan sat in the rapidly heating car.
"He got to doing something with the other kids and realized Banyan wasn't there," Bagwell said.
Members of the family contacted by The Oklahoman on Wednesday declined comment.
Deaths called preventable
Sunday's incident marked the fifth time a child has died in Oklahoma of hyperthermia from being in an unattended car since January 2005, said Jan Null, a meteorology consultant and adjunct professor at San Francisco State University. It's also the fifth case nationwide this year.
"Every single one of those is preventable," said Null, who has studied similar deaths since 2001.
With a high of 96 degrees like Oklahoma saw on Sunday, a car parked in the sun could reach 140 degrees within an hour, Null said. The temperature inside a car left sitting in the sun can climb almost 20 degrees in the first 10 minutes, he said.
In the 295 cases Null has documented, he said about 39 percent of those resulted from a parent or guardian forgetting that a child has been left in a car. Null recommends drivers leave a briefcase or purse in the back seat as a reminder to make sure children are not left strapped in a car seat.

Hopefully, dad's charged with negligent homicide.

Hopefully, dad's charged with negligent homicide.
It'll never happen. I think dad has already gone through enough with the guilt of making a mistake and leaving his child in a hot car.

Hopefully, dad's charged with negligent homicide.

WHAT THE???? Why would you say that?

I am still trying to figure out why people do this.

Your child and their care should be top priority. I used to take my nieces and nephews places all the time when they were little. I always made sure they were out the car, the car was locked and the keys were in my pocket before we went inside the house or anywhere.

Then again I have a habit of removing everything from my truck before I go inside. The only thing that is ever left in my truck are bungee cords and the owners manual.

I am still trying to figure out why people do this.

Your child and their care should be top priority. I used to take my nieces and nephews places all the time when they were little. I always made sure they were out the car, the car was locked and the keys were in my pocket before we went inside the house or anywhere.

Then again I have a habit of removing everything from my truck before I go inside. The only thing that is ever left in my truck are bungee cords and the owners manual.
I'm like you. When I get out of my vehicle, I always look in the back seat to make sure I am not forgetting something (or somebody). It has been a habit of mine for years. I guess I started that habit when my children were born. Now, anytime I get out of my car, I look in the back seat.

I really can't fathom somebody accidentally leaving their child in a car.

This sort of thing just burns me up. Some people are just not responsible enough to have kids. Yes, it was a mistake, but damn...you forgot your kid. I can't understand how someone does that. That poor kid suffered horribly because his priorities were focused on something other than the safety of his kids. I don't know how he will be able to live with himself.

If you'll read the story, you'll see that he took his other two kids inside and got distracted by something. None of you have any idea what distracted him or why. It's a horrible error for sure, and you can bet the father is beside himself with grief and guilt.

I think this is a terrible accident and no more than that. And I can't even imagine pointing fingers and questioning parental responsibility when I wasn't there to know what really happened in the situation.

If you'll read the story, you'll see that he took his other two kids inside and got distracted by something. None of you have any idea what distracted him or why. It's a horrible error for sure, and you can bet the father is beside himself with grief and guilt.

I think this is a terrible accident and no more than that. And I can't even imagine pointing fingers and questioning parental responsibility when I wasn't there to know what really happened in the situation.

I am with Sweetdaisy on this. Very well said, SD.

Some of us just get really tired of hearing how one can't understand responsibility until children enter the picture, because we don't have children. Therefore we must be "fly by the seat of our pants" kinds of people who don't have a clue. But then, you have people who have kids who leave them in hot cars. I'm sorry, if you can't keep up with all your kids, then you shouldn't be having them in the first place.

Just a sore spot with me. A hard lesson learned for this parent.

Some of us just get really tired of hearing how one can't understand responsibility until children enter the picture, because we don't have children. Therefore we must be "fly by the seat of our pants" kinds of people who don't have a clue.

I don't think people without children can't understand responsibility or 'don't have a clue'! Who is telling you that?

The references I have made previously on different topics, regarding parenthood vs childless couples is that I don't think a person who doesn't have kids can know the depth of love a parent feels towards his/her child.

But, this really doesn't have a lot to do with those who have kids and who don't.... it's about a senseless tragedy that occurred.

Hopefully, one person will read this and make a concentrated effort to avoid such a loss in their future.

It has come from a lot of different areas in my life, Karried. "You'll want to go to church when you have children, you'll be more responsible, etc." It's annoying and slightly judgemental.

As for not understanding the depth of love a parent has...do you not think that children can have that same depth of love for their parents? Yeah, my mom didn't spring out of my uterus, but it's an unconditional kind of love, regardless of what she's done to me, good or bad. Completely off-topic, just a random thought.

Yeah, I can see how that would get old ... don't let it bother you, everyone thinks they know it all but most are trying to help and are trying to spare you some of the mistakes they made. If you decide to have children, you are going to have the most brilliant well adjusted kids imaginable and they will be so musically talented!

I didn't have my first child until I was 30. I was really naive about parenting and I couldn't believe how some people let their children behave! I was amazed .. I would never let my child act that way!, I would never let my child play on the dirty floor, eat those foods, wear those clothes .. etc etc..

LOL a few years later and a few babies later.. tee hee.. how things changed in my world! I turned into the parent letting her toddler pick his clothes, play on the floor and eat nothing but pepperoni pizza for years because that's all he would eat! But, alas, now he's taller than me and so handsome..and a great kid so far!

All I can say about how I felt was I never expected it and didn't realize how utterly frightening it was to have this huge responsibility for this totally reliant baby! I was on the phone constantly the first few weeks with the Doctor because I was convinced the baby had every ailment known to man.. I was a wreck...

I don't know, maybe because I had many miscarriages before having a baby, it was all that more terrifying to me, the fear of never having a baby and then when having one, the fear of not being a good parent and causing him harm by not being a 'perfect parent'. I got better with my second son but I still am so protective of them both.

Yes, I really do love my mom but again, what does me in is that feeling of protectiveness I feel for my kids, that one, I wasn't expecting.

If you'll read the story, you'll see that he took his other two kids inside and got distracted by something. None of you have any idea what distracted him or why. It's a horrible error for sure, and you can bet the father is beside himself with grief and guilt.

I think this is a terrible accident and no more than that. And I can't even imagine pointing fingers and questioning parental responsibility when I wasn't there to know what really happened in the situation.

I've been distracted by things many times, but never enough to forget about my kids. Whatever the situation, whatever it was that distracted him, the fact remains that he forgot about his kid. I can't believe that you would defend him. I know it's a accident, but does knowing that help the little one that baked in the car?

Its no better than forgetting to buckle their seatbelts because you were in a hurry. You are endangering your child. In all things, the kid comes first. Unfortunately for the kids, some people just don't get it.

I've been distracted by things many times, but never enough to forget about my kids. Whatever the situation, whatever it was that distracted him, the fact remains that he forgot about his kid. I can't believe that you would defend him. I know it's a accident, but does knowing that help the little one that baked in the car?

Its no better than forgetting to buckle their seatbelts because you were in a hurry. You are endangering your child. In all things, the kid comes first. Unfortunately for the kids, some people just don't get it.

I do not think I could forget my kid, but too, I know I am not perfect, and anything is possible. Are you perfect to the point that you do not believe anything could possibly cause you to forget your kid?

Should that situation ever arise where you did, and you were devasted from what you had done---Hey, it happened, and no matter what the authorities do, it cannot be undone; I am not suggesting that it is not a horrible thing that has happened---do you need the added burden of the authorities further destroying your life; that is said assuming that what you had done had left a wee bit of your life intact. But I do not think there would be anything left of my life to be destroyed had it been me; maybe if there were some left, I would deserve for that to be taken away too, but I do not support that idea.

Mazda's 929 (since discontinued) had a solar-powered fan that would exhaust hot air from the car's interior when the engine wasn't running. I am surprised that this never caught on - or maybe not; no one has rushed to pick up the oscillating air vents that were standard on the Mazda 626 from 1983 to 2002.

I can't believe that you would defend him. I know it's a accident, but does knowing that help the little one that baked in the car?

Its no better than forgetting to buckle their seatbelts because you were in a hurry. You are endangering your child. In all things, the kid comes first. Unfortunately for the kids, some people just don't get it.

I don't recall defending him. I'm simply saying you don't know what the situation is. I'm suggesting you think outside of your own benchmark and realize that people's lives aren't simplistic and easy. Sometimes things overwhelm and consume their thoughts and cause them to make poor decisions or forget important things. It's not a good excuse, but it does in fact happen!

The last thing this guy needs is a bunch of people judging him and saying what a bad person he is. Don't you know his own guilt and sorrow must be enough.

I can't imagine how judgemental you are about people who are shopping at a store and turn away from their child for a few seconds only to find their child lost or kidnapped.

Are you perfect to the point that you do not believe anything could possibly cause you to forget your kid?

Yes, as far as that goes, I am perfect. All my kids are still alive. But, I'm not alone. Most people who place a priority on their kids instead of leaving them in the car like a forgotten carton of eggs from the store are just as perfect.



Should that situation ever arise where you did, and you were devasted from what you had done---Hey, it happened, and no matter what the authorities do, it cannot be undone; I am not suggesting that it is not a horrible thing that has happened---do you need the added burden of the authorities further destroying your life; that is said assuming that what you had done had left a wee bit of your life intact. But I do not think there would be anything left of my life to be destroyed had it been me; maybe if there were some left, I would deserve for that to be taken away too, but I do not support that idea.
If I were to go mad and let something like that happen, I would deserve every punishment and shame that could be heaped upon me.


I don't recall defending him.
I consider the way you are in effect saying "Leave him alone! He's HURTING!" to be in his defense. You go right ahead and keep thinking of his pain and I'll keep thinking of his kid's 107 degree body temperature.



I'm simply saying you don't know what the situation is.
...and I'm saying IT DOES'T MATTER what the situation was, there's no good excuse. I can't put it any simpler than that.


I'm suggesting you think outside of your own benchmark and realize that people's lives aren't simplistic and easy. Sometimes things overwhelm and consume their thoughts and cause them to make poor decisions or forget important things. It's not a good excuse, but it does in fact happen!
That's right, there's no good excuse for you to forget you child and letting him/her broil in the car. You can forget your keys, forget about a meeting, etc. but you just can't forget your child. I seems to me that his priorities were on other things and that is what I fault him for.



The last thing this guy needs is a bunch of people judging him and saying what a bad person he is. Don't you know his own guilt and sorrow must be enough.

Unless this particular idiot peruses our happy forum, I doubt that the words I convey here matter at all to him. So, I have to ask, what the hell difference does it matter to you what I think of him? If you want to feel sorry for him go right ahead. I feel most sorry for his other children. He may not need it, but he should get is a jury of twelve judging him on a charge of negligent homicide.



I can't imagine how judgemental you are about people who are shopping at a store and turn away from their child for a few seconds only to find their child lost or kidnapped.
I'm sure you can fire up that imagination and come up with something. But in any case, that situation isn't soley the fault of the parent. There is some other person willingly involved to do harm. But whatever...

MadMonk---Do you have any compassion at all for anyone who ever makes a mistake no matter how small?

Madmonk, I do understand where you're coming from and your outrage about it. However, I'm also aware of the fact that the guy made a mistake...I know it's a horrible mistake, but it was MISTAKE. This guy wasn't in shopping or getting his hair done or some garbage that we tend to hear about people doing.

If I were on the jury, I'd give him a big ol' not guilty.

BTW, I checked news articles to see if there was any explanation of how this happened and found the following:


"It appears to be an accidental death," Hiner said.
The boy's father had returned home from buying groceries Sunday afternoon and left the sleeping boy in the car as he brought food inside, Stillwater Police Chief Norman McNickle said. The boy's father also was watching three other children and apparently forgot Banyan was in the car for about an hour.

MadMonk---Do you have any compassion at all for anyone who ever makes a mistake no matter how small?
Absolutely. As long as it doesn't involve killing your own kids through negligence.

Tell me Oh Compassionate One, do you consider this person's mistake "small"?

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Okay, Sweetdaisy, I understand. I just have zero tolerance for things like this.

A freakin' hour...it's a damned shame...

Absolutely. As long as it doesn't involve killing your own kids through negligence.

Tell me Oh Compassionate One, do you consider this person's mistake "small"?

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Okay, Sweetdaisy, I understand. I just have zero tolerance for things like this.

A freakin' hour...it's a damned shame...:welcome55

Nope! I do not consider it to be small---it was a great big ole mistake, but it was something that happened, and it cannot be undone no matter how much any of us might want to undo it.

MadMonk, I wonder how you feel about someone who gets to the airport and there is a gun in his bag that he did not know was there---should he get strung up by the toes for the rest of his days? Or do you feel as I do that sometimes people make mistakes?

Guessing MadMonk's response is that there is absolutely no reason why anyone would not know where all his guns are, but I ask: "What if it were not his gun?"

Am I correct on your response? And since I am, how about an answer to the second?

Nope! I do not consider it to be small---it was a great big ole mistake, but it was something that happened, and it cannot be undone no matter how much any of us might want to undo it.

Then why are you badgering me about my opinion over this "great big ole mistake" while asking me about little mistakes "no matter how small"? I think you are just being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.



MadMonk, I wonder how you feel about someone who gets to the airport and there is a gun in his bag that he did not know was there---should he get strung up by the toes for the rest of his days? Or do you feel as I do that sometimes people make mistakes?
How the hell is any of this drivel relevant to a parent forgetting their child is in a lethally hot car for an hour?

As per your second post, you would be wise to not guess anyone's response just so that you can argue with it. It makes you look foolish when you are totally wrong (as you are), but thats irrelevent to this thread. If you want to know how I feel about the particular situations you listed, post a new thread (call it "What would MadMonk think?" if you like), quit trying to drag me into an argument over hypothetical situations and stick to the topic.

Sure, the gun at the airport is relevant to this thread since you have turned it into a thread where anyone who makes any type of mistake must be persecuted further to the fullest extent of the ability of any authority that desires to enter into it.

My position remains that people make mistakes---The mistake might result in a tragedy, and we cannot turn back the clock and prevent it from happening no matter how much we might want to; we do not have to condone it, but at least for me, I can see how it could happen; some people think they are so perfect that they do not believe there is any excuse, and as shortsighted as I might think that is, I suppose those people have the right to think as they do; hopefully, those people who think that way will never make a mistake.

But you know what is said about making mistakes: "If one ever does anything, he should expect to make a mistake." Something like that anyway.

By the way, I think you are the one who evolved the thread to bring it into this arena.

Okay, Sweetdaisy, I understand. I just have zero tolerance for things like this.

A freakin' hour...it's a damned shame...

It IS a damned shame. What a horrible tragedy. It's sickening to think about.

My only point on this is I don't see how it's going to do any good to put a guy in jail for this. Most likely the breadwinner of the family (assumption based on their rural location)...they've already lost the child, why lose yet another important part of the family and have the other kiddos potentially end up in foster care, etc.? Never mind the fact that the guy is going to have to look himself in the eye everyday for the rest of his life and know that he was responsible for his child's death. To me, that's punishment enough. I know that's not what some people think, and that's fine, but that's why I feel the way I do about this.

I get more angry about parents who intentionally do harm to their children and those who outwardly neglect the kids.

Sure, the gun at the airport is relevant to this thread since you have turned it into a thread where anyone who makes any type of mistake must be persecuted further to the fullest extent of the ability of any authority that desires to enter into it.

No, its not relevant to this thread. I've never said anything about any other situation. YOU are the one who brought up other things. Go back and read the posts.



My position remains that people make mistakes---The mistake might result in a tragedy, and we cannot turn back the clock and prevent it from happening no matter how much we might want to; we do not have to condone it, but at least for me, I can see how it could happen;

Okay, fine. I'm not whining to you about your opinion. Why do you feel the need to whine about mine? What you are doing is harrassing me over my opinon because you just can't stand an opposing viewpoint. Even though I disagree with you, I can live with your opinion; you'll just have to learn to live with mine.



some people think they are so perfect that they do not believe there is any excuse,

It does't take a perfect person to realize that there is NO EXCUSE for what happened.



and as shortsighted as I might think that is, I suppose those people have the right to think as they do; hopefully, those people who think that way will never make a mistake.

Here's a little nugget of information that you seem to keep missing - I'm only talking about this particular situation where you forget your kids and they die in the hot car. Why is this so hard for you to grasp and why do you keep trying to apply this to other situations?

I make mistakes like anyone elese but, I can guarantee you one thing though. My kids have zero chance of dying in a hot car due to my forgetfulness.



By the way, I think you are the one who evolved the thread to bring it into this arena.
Think again. Maybe you should re-read this thread. You are the one bringing up hypothetical situations, not I. (Actually sweetdaisy did it first, but she had the good sense to realize that I'm only talking about this situation and let it drop.)

Ok!

Not again! Can't the state do some Service Announcment Commercials reminding people of the danger?

Hot vehicle leads to deaths


By Ron Jackson and Josh Rabe
CACHE - Two young Comanche County girls died Friday after they were trapped inside a hot vehicle.
Paramedics were called to a rural home south of Cache about 2:45 p.m. Friday, Comanche County Undersheriff John Stowe said. A caller told dispatchers the girls, ages 5 and 6, were not breathing.
They were pronounced dead on arrival at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Stowe said.
"Somehow they got locked inside," Stowe said. "We are still trying to figure out how."
A woman who discovered the girls broke out a window in the vehicle and performed CPR on them until paramedics arrived, Stowe said.
The girls were taken to the medical examiner's office in Oklahoma City so an official cause of death can be determined.
"I really don't have words to express this," Stowe said. "This is a tragedy. The relatives have got to be feeling intense grief."
Stowe said authorities are waiting to notify the girls' next of kin before releasing their names. He would not name the family.
The incident marked the second and third children to die this summer in Oklahoma after being left unattended in a hot car, said Jan Null, a meteorology consultant and adjunct professor at San Francisco State University.

Nationwide, 10 children have died in hot cars this summer, including the two Oklahoma girls, Null said.

Null said the temperature inside a car parked in the sun can rise almost 20 degrees in the first 10 minutes and temperatures inside can climb to more than 140 degrees in an hour. Children's bodies are not as well suited to deal with the stress from the heat as adults, he said.
"It doesn't take a child's body long to reach lethal temperatures," Null said.

Yes, this is tragic, and I cannot think of anything that could be any worse for a family or a neighborhood to experience. I am certainly not attempting to lessen the devastation something like this might cause.

But at the same time, I wonder how we can proof every possible hazard that exists; were it not a hot car, might it be a hot shed next time or a pond full of water where a drowning occurs? Maybe a child will climb a tree next time and fall out; what will we do about that?

Is Oklahoma the only state where something like this happens? No! The article says 10 have died in hot cars nationwide this summer. Please understand though that my heart goes out to everyone impacted by this tragedy.

Wow, 30% of these accidents (so far) happened here. Not exactly enhancing Oklahoma's image. :(

Madmonk, that was my thought exactly... 10 have died and 3 of those were in OK!

That's why I think we should have a public service announcement reminder... I doubt it would help but it might just make someone think twice about leaving kids or pets in a car.

Did someone actually leave those girls in the car??? I haven't heard the full story yet (haven't been tuned into the news lately), but how did they manage to be in there?

This is nuts...

To my knowledge, they have not said how the girls happened to have got into the car or why they could not get out---it just said they got locked in.

Where were those two kids that got into a car a year or so ago, and the people could not find them until after they had died? I do not recall it being in Oklahoma, but I don't know where that happened.

Edited to add URL: http://news-star.com/stories/071598/new_heat.html

Edited again to add another: http://news-star.com/stories/062605/new_20050626020.shtml

Don't most newer cars have child proof locks on the doors? I was wondering why children this age would not try to open a door. Please don't blast me....I'm trying to figure out how this could happen to two kids 5 and 6 years old.

Me too, Ain't---trying to figure out how this could happen I mean; I really do not mind if one of the members here blasts me.

It looks like the authorities would tell the entire story.

i don't think I would ever make the mistake of leaving my child in the car during the summer, but I do see how it could easily happen.