Seven incidents of thermo-automotive neglect in 10 days

Along the spectrum of human intellectual ability, there are two critical milestones: the intelligence required to figure out how to procreate, and the intelligence required to know that you shouldn't leave your children in a car when it's burning hot or freezing cold outside. Unfortunately, a certain portion of the population must fall between these points, and it is this demographic which gives rise to thermo-automotive neglect. Thanks to these idiots whose ignorance poses a grave threat to themselves and others, there were seven known incidents of TAN around the world in a period of 10 days this month, and one more in December. This raises the total to 16 since October of 2007. I still find it incomprehensible that such an event could occur even once.

On December 23, 2007, a two-year-old girl from Perth, Australia was left in a car for two hours, apparently forgotten by her parents. It was 34°C (93°F) outside, and the girl died despite attempts at resuscitation. Her parents, who have seven children, are not being charged, even though their forgetfulness lead to the agonizing death of a child. Way to go, Australia! Let's see how long the rest of their kids survive.

On the afternoon of January 2, the appropriately named Shawn Tanner of Millington, Tennessee left his two sons, aged five and six, in a truck in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. It was 27°F inside the truck; Tanner said he thought the kids were safe because the parking lot has cameras. Cameras are not heat lamps, fuckhole.

"I stepped into Wal-Mart to get something at GNC, I locked my boys in the truck, figured I'd be in and out real fast," said Shawn Tanner.

[...]

Tanner believes cops overreacted.

"I locked them in and secured them, they had heavy winter coats, they weren't cold, I didn't leave them in there to freeze," he said.

[...]

"It was a bad judgement call, I was looking to save a few seconds to get in and out a little quicker," he said.

Another shopper saw the boys in the truck, and called the police. Tanner was charged with felony child abuse and neglect, and the boys were sent to stay with their grandmother because their dad is an incompetent asshole who tried to rationalize TANning them.

That night, Pedro Peraza and Areyna Argueta of Indianapolis, Indiana were on their way home from the hospital with their 14-month-old daughter, who had a severe cough and cold. She still had a hospital bracelet around her ankle, and they decided to leave her in their truck for 20 minutes while they went grocery shopping. The truck wasn't running, and it was 10°F outside with a wind chill of -5°F, wonderful weather for a sick baby. Peraza and Argueta claimed she was sleeping and they didn't want to wake her up, one of the typical excuses used by irresponsible parents who probably want their kids to never wake up again. The girl was left with child protective services, and Peraza and Argueta were arrested for neglect and sent to the county jail.

On the night of January 4, a 3-year-old girl from Bloomington, Indiana was left in a car by her parents while they went to see a movie. It was 37°F outside, and the girl actually got out of the vehicle. Another couple saw her, and police found the parents in the theater watching One Missed Call; the mother claimed she forgot about the girl. How do you just forget about a 3-year-old and still manage to function in society? This level of idiocy is baffling. The parents will face felony neglect charges, but the girl was allowed to stay with them because they'd had no other dealings with Child Protective Services. Another moviegoer put it best:

"They didn't forget the child. They forgot they were parents temporarily, conveniently," Vlachos-Weber said.

That same night, Leaha Chantel Richardson of Crossville, Tennessee went to a bar, and left her 10-month-old baby strapped in a car seat. She went inside, danced and got drunk, while her child was sitting outside in 37°F weather. When the police pulled her off the dance floor, she was inebriated to the extent that she was semiconscious and unresponsive. An ambulance was called, but she refused to go to the hospital, so she was taken to jail instead. The child's grandparents were given temporary custody pending a DCS hearing, and Richardson was charged with aggravated child abuse and held on $20,000 bond.

On January 9, David F. Mantor of Maplewood, Minnesota continued the trend of partying hard while leaving a child to freeze. Mantor told his wife he was going to the grocery store for milk, but decided to go to a strip club in Milwaukee instead. For some reason, he brought his 18-month-old son along for the ride, and left him locked in the van for at least three hours in 30°F weather. Why bring your kid all the way to the titty bar just to leave him outside? I don't know, because I'm not a fucking retard like this guy. The bar's manager saw the baby in the van, and called the police, who arrested Mantor and charged him with misdemeanor neglect of a child. The baby was hospitalized and treated for exposure and frostbite, and Mantor's wife posted his $250 bail. Because it's good to lock your kid in a freezing van, and it's bad to lock up the person who TANned your kid.

On January 11, an unnamed mother from Tauranga, New Zealand left her two children, aged 5 months and 2 years, in a truck while she went to an internet cafe. The car was very hot, and a shop worker heard the 5-month-old screaming and found him covered in sweat. The 2-year-old was asleep. The worker was able to open the door, and took the 5-month-old to the Child, Youth and Family Services office across the street. Once the mother returned to the car, social workers with CYF informed her that they would be taking custody of the children, and she was charged with child neglect.

Just kidding. They gave her a stern talking-to, and let her take the kids.

Also on January 11, Vangmee Lee of Clermont, Florida went to a flea market and locked a 3-year-old boy who was with her in the car while she shopped. He was trapped inside with the windows rolled up for at least 30 minutes, and it was 80°F outside. The temperature inside the car could have easily exceeded 110°F. When he was removed, he was sweating profusely and appeared dazed, and was holding an empty water bottle. 20 minutes after he was removed, his temperature was still 101°F, and he was hospitalized. After he was released, he was returned to his own family. Lee said she didn't think she did anything wrong, but the police disagreed. She was arrested and jailed on one count of aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect, and the Department of Children and Families is investigating.

The frequency of TAN makes me hate the world. When you actually look for it, you see that it occurs everywhere, with alarming regularity, and it seems to have become even worse during winter. Refrigeration isn't going to preserve your kids, you imbeciles. What is fueling this epidemic? Poor judgement stemming from a lack of important knowledge. What is the remedy? Education. A widespread public campaign is necessary to highlight the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars, and the legal consequences that will result—or at least should result. Perpetrators of TAN should no longer be allowed to go unpunished. The act of leaving a child in an obviously hazardous situation is not something that should be ignored. Ever.

Sadly, Blackjack passed away on January 10 (respiratory illness, not TAN). He was only 5 months old. Mercifully, he stopped breathing as my mother held him in the waiting room where we were going to have him put to sleep, freeing us from the burden of wondering whether it would have been the right decision. Such a wonderful rat is irreplaceable, and his unexpected death highlights the impermanence of biology and the truth that fairness is nonexistent in this world. But his surviving companion, Charlie, is just as young, and keeping him solitary for the rest of his life is not acceptable. Today, we went to PetSmart and found Sunshine, a 3-4 month old black rat with a large white splotch spanning his underside and rings of white fur around his limbs. I think he may be black Irish. While he and Charlie haven't yet been formally introduced due to their age, their cages have been moved close together so they'll be aware of each other's presence and become accustomed to it.

This is a stopgap update. I've had difficulty writing recently, which really isn't any different than usual. So here's a story that I'm perpetually forgetting to include in the next update.