A Texas mother was taken into custody Tuesday after police alleged her 22-month-old child died when she left the infant in a car outside a Corpus Christi school on one of the hottest days of the year.
The mother, 33-year-old Hilda Ann Adame, was jailed on charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child and child endangerment/abandonment with imminent bodily injury, according to a Corpus Christi Police Department incident report.
It was not clear how long the infant had been in the car before the baby was found unresponsive, according to the incident report.
Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime? (2009)
Sometimes it’s an accident, sometimes it’s straight up neglect
Yes, negligence resulting in the death of a person that is unable to care for themselves is a crime. “I forgot, sorry” is an acceptable answer when you didn’t get something on the grocery list. It doesn’t suffice when someone’s life is in your hands.
did you read that article?
Nope, I don’t have a paid subscription.
it’s a really long article that goes into depth on the issue with a lot of anecdotes and research. The gist of it is though that while these people have committed negligence, it happens to people who are otherwise not negligent. It can really happen to anyone, all it takes is some stress or unexpected plans changing.
People should be aware of how easy it can happen to anyone and not pass it off as just bad parents getting what they deserve.
This is the biggest one I’ve seen.
“Oh X needs to be at Y today so the person who usually takes them to daycare is unavailable, can you take them?”
And then you’re on autopilot, going to work like you do every day. Your body can be trained to do certain things automatically, with basically no mental input on your side. You never take the kid to daycare because your schedule. Then the ONE DAY that your routine changes… It’s one of the most important things you need to keep in mind.
Ever pulled your car into a spot and thought to yourself “wait I don’t remember stopping at any lights HOLY SHIT DID I JUST RUN EVERY RED” but the truth is, no. You did not. Either they are so routine to stop at that you don’t notice on autopilot, or there WERE no reds. You are not a bad or negligent driver. You were on autopilot.
Autopilot doesn’t understand change.
exactly! it’s crazy, like you’re conscious but your mind isn’t recording. And then without that record to reflect on, it’s easy to forget things.
When I drop my kid off I always text some cute thing he did or something but also indicating he is at daycare and when I go in auto even though I drop the kid off and don’t text, I’ll get a text asking about him by the time I’m at work. Its kinda like the whole Japan pointing and calling method they use for safety.
Here you go: https://web.archive.org/web/20240731194355/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html
This is an excellent article that might very well change your opinion on how criminal this actually is.
No one is saying you are free to go. It certainly doesn’t suffice.
It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. It can happen to anyone.
I’m not saying anyone in this situation shouldn’t face consequences, but it’s wild how much some people prioritize punishing a parent that just made the most devastating mistake of their life.
I agree.
This person fucked up in the greatest way possible. But they already know that. What’s sitting in jail gonna do?