Alabama toddler who died inside hot car was 'forgotten' by state contract worker, police say.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

A toddler died inside a hot car in a tragic accident because a state contractor had "forgotten that the child was in the vehicle," Alabama authorities said Monday.

Ke'Terrious Starkes Jr., 3, of Bessemer, was pronounced dead early Tuesday evening after he was found in a hot car in the 1500 block of Pine Tree Drive in Birmingham, Birmingham police said in a statement.

Afternoon temperatures reached the 90s on Tuesday, accompanied by humidity that made it feel like triple digits.

"At this time, the only thing that I can say is that we believe it [the child’s death] was accidental," Police Sgt. Laquitta Wade told NBC News on Monday, adding that the contractor had "forgotten that the child was in the vehicle."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alabama-toddler-died-hot-car-was-forgotten-state-contract-worker-polic-rcna221519

[Danmel]

1. Why aren't rear seat reminders mandatory?

My Chevy Cruze has that feature.
Not foolproof but maybe it would help prevent some of these tragedies.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

2. May have made a difference. I read in another article that the Contractor ran a series of personal errands instead of

returning the child.

[Bayard]

3. No excuse

This was, essentially, torture.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. I understand the idea of "accidental"...

...as I'm sure the person didn't intend to leave the child in the car, but it was an accident caused by sheer negligence. Had the worker taken the child back as they were supposed to, none of this would have happened.

[LisaL]

7. Yes, and how does this not fit

under "negligent homicide?" Something doesn't have to be intentional, to be a crime.

[Ocelot II]

5. It happens every year - Here's an interesting article about why it happens

and there's much more to the psychology, the way memory works and distraction occurs, than one might expect. The article was published 16 years ago but nothing has changed. https://archive.is/S7biN

A device was invented to prevent this from happening, but it was never produced.

In 2000, Chris Edwards, Terry Mack and Edward Modlin began to work on just such a product after one of their colleagues, Kevin Shelton, accidentally left his 9-month-old son to die in the parking lot of NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. The inventors patented a device with weight sensors and a keychain alarm. Based on aerospace technology, it was easy to use; it was relatively cheap, and it worked.

Janette Fennell had high hopes for this product: The dramatic narrative behind it, she felt, and the fact that it came from NASA, created a likelihood of widespread publicity and public acceptance.

That was five years ago. The device still isn’t on the shelves. The inventors could not find a commercial partner willing to manufacture it. One big problem was liability. If you made it, you could face enormous lawsuits if it malfunctioned and a child died. But another big problem was psychological: Marketing studies suggested it wouldn’t sell well.

The problem is this simple: People think this could never happen to them.

[LisaL]

6. This is a little different.

The person who forgot the child-it was her job to deliver the child to and from appointments. She was paid to do this. This child was in foster care.

[Ocelot II]

8. The human factors are the same, though.

[MIButterfly]

9. How do you "forget" a child is in the car?

It's a tragedy for sure. That poor baby, how he must have suffered. I'm sure it was probably unintentional but I feel there must be consequences. Losing their job is not enough.

I was once on my way to my mother and grandmother's house with my cat. I stopped at the Post Office to run in and buy stamps, which should only take about five minutes. But you never know how long the line will be, so I took my cat in with me. It was around 75 degrees out, but if I was in there a long time, it could be in the 90s in the car by the time I got out. I wouldn't leave my CAT unattended in a car, let alone a child.