“Do You Want To Know What It Is Like To Lose A Child?”: Young Mother Will Blame Herself For The Rest Of Her Life

December 5, 2018 10:17

Parents are always concerned about their children’s safety. Parents worry about their children so much that they can harm them with their own actions. Something that seems absolutely harmless, such as locking up a child in a car, can become a tragedy. We have already written why it is dangerous in the hot season, but in fact, you shouldn’t leave babies unattended at all.

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In March 2018, Kim Rowlands went to her husband’s office for a minute and left her 2-year-old daughter, Kiara Moore, in a car parked nearby. When the woman came back, the car wasn’t there: she decided that it had been stolen with the baby.

Kim could not even imagine that her Mini rolled down the slope into the river, where it was later found by divers. They managed to get the little one out of the car, she was still alive, but they couldn’t save her. After a thorough investigation, the police concluded that it was either Kim who forgot to engage the handbrake or the baby who accidentally released the lever when climbing to the back seat.

This is by far not the only case of non-compliance with parking rules with a gruesome outcome. Earlier, Mirror reported a death of a woman under the wheels of her car with her baby inside after failing to put the handbrake on. The Daily Mail wrote about a 3-year-old girl who died because of a similar mistake.

We all know that children require enhanced monitoring if there are vehicles nearby, but no one is safe when it comes to such tragic accidents.

Besides a car arbitrarily starting to move, there are other dangers, in particular, associated with the violation of the temperature regime. A baby shouldn’t be locked in a car even for a minute, even with the handbrake on, windows open, and heater or air-conditioner on. Overheating in the hot season or hypothermia in winter is not unlikely at all. The child’s body changes the temperature much faster than that of an adult, which sometimes leads to irreparable consequences.

Moreover, children sometimes play with the dashboard and can even cause a car to move creating a life-threatening situation. You may remember that this was one of the versions of the 2-year-old Kiara’s death. Besides, when you go about your business, you can’t be 100% sure you are not going to be delayed by something.

You should also not pass by if you notice someone else's child locked in the car. Even if you are in a hurry, try to find the parents, or at least check if the child is all right. In case you suspect the child’s life is in danger, call a rescue service.

In many situations, children are completely helpless. Parents are not always there to prevent the tragedy, but if each of us stays vigilant, children’s lives can be saved. Please share Kiara’s story so that other parents avoid making this horrible mistake.