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2-year-old girl dies after being left inside car for 9 hours

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It is all too easy to forget possessions when tired and rushing to work but your own child?

it is a sad occurrence.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Father was only 33, it's definitly not alzheimer's disease.

What was he thinking about?!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

When he drove back to the school located in the city of Kishiwada after 5 p.m., staff told him that Seira had never arrived, leading him to search his vehicle where he found her limp and unconscious, according to police.

Well, that sounds like the staff noticed that the kid was missing. But unfortunately no word on whether they tried to contact the father or not.

What I find rather baffling is that the father did not only not realize that the kid was still in the car when he returned home, no, he did not even notice her inside the car when he got into the car to pick her up.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

“Father was only 33, it's definitly not alzheimer's disease.”

There’s such a thing as early onset dementia.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

I find his story impossible to accept.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

I'm sorry but where the hell was a 2 year old riding in a car where you didn't notice her.

Had to search his car to find her?

Does nobody else find this a little strange?

12 ( +13 / -1 )

And the school didn't contact the family when the girl didn't show up that day?

8 ( +11 / -3 )

So assuming the 2 year old had a child seat to sit in, which in Japan is amazingly not an automatic thing, you’re telling me he couldn’t see or notice that there was a human body still in said seat?

either there’s missing info here, or the father is a moron

Well, either way, good job, Junior. You done wrecked the family, definitely the sisters lives.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

His mind must have have been scrambled by some sort of stress and preoccupation leading to this terrible tragedy that will mark his life forever.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

How many of these infant deaths happen that do not make the news?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Hard to believe, how sad. RIP

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Car manufacturers need to develop more intelligent cars, in order to alert people when they forget children in the cars.

-13 ( +2 / -15 )

I don't believe someone actually blamed it on the car!

What about responsibility?

The world should make things that completely absolve me of responsibility.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

The fact that this can even happen in relatively moderate temperatures in November should be a wake up call. This is the sort of thing that usually happens in August.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

NHK just mentioned a short list of previous cases like this. "Father" seemed to be, what they all had in common. Forgetting your own child in the car seems to be mainly a men's problem.

And a tragic death could have been avoided, had the child care facility contacted the parents and asked, why the child was absent unexcused. This simple act could also lead to an early alert in case of a kidnapping, or a yet undiscovered accident.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

People should not be allowed to be parents unless they pass a rigorous parenting and financial test. I can believe this kind of negligent acts keep happening.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

*can't believe

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

He had three kids. Dropped two off at separate schools. Obviously, he can't count. And while I wouldn't wish it on anyone, I'm sure he'll suffer for it.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Sadly having read many studies on this it appears that this is a case of going on auto pilot or using the Neanderthal base functioning parts of our brain. We have all experienced the “did I lock the door” moments and when we think about it we cannot actually remember doing it and generally have to check- this is our brain functioning in auto pilot.

In addition in the majority of cases there is a disruption to the journey (car crash on the road, sudden phone call from your boss demanding attention, unknown road works change to route etc- something that is a very unusual occurrence.

For some reason this disrupts the drivers attention and the rest of the journey they do into auto pilot- tragically meaning that of course they don’t notice the child in the car because they have never left them on such a situation before and it is not even on their radar.

it is a terrible terribly tragedy. Thankfully there are several alert systems that have been developed specifically to avoid this modern phenomenon.

https://www.safewise.com/car-seat-alarm/

8 ( +9 / -1 )

No excuse for this whatsoever.

Punish this animal to the full extent of the law.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

I don't find his story plausible at all. He left the kid in a car, not the wardrobe from Narnia. This goes beyond gross negligence.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

I honestly don't get it. I can understand forgetting your keys and then a second later realizing you locked them in your car once you closed the door. I understand being somewhat absent-minded and forgetting your smartphone, once again remembering within a couple of minutes. I understand forgetting an important document at home that you were supposed to bring to work, realizing it once you got there. I DEFINITELY understand going to the supermarket to buy something and then leaving without having bought what you went there to buy... then turning around and going back. What I do NOT understand is how you think you dropped off your kid while the kid is still in the car. Did he just stop the car, not hear the door open, not say goodbye, not hear the door close, not look behind him to check?

One thing's for sure, he won't ever, ever forget this day or that he killed his own daughter. I doubt his family, soon likely to cease to be his family, will forget or let him forget either.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I cant understand or work out why he didnt see the child in his rear view mirror, or sitting at the side of him, and this is just after last week where a school head and teachers were ticked off for leaving a child last year on a bus for X? hours on a school bus, only to be met with his untimely end.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

We don't know all the "facts" and nothing at all about the man so we can't judge.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

In Japan, if you don’t do it yourself, the Ho’EKu’en will do it for you.

Just stay home with your kids, it’s safer for them.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

How could this tragedy have taken place?

Could it be that this father did not love this daughter?

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

A quiet child in the car seat facing backwards could become unnoticed. Got into the habit of placing my work bag in the back seat on the floor (with phone and wallet) when our kid was little, because it is easy to have your mind off doing something else completely when arriving at a destination. That little thing provided me just enough reminder that she was there so nothing tragic happened. It also prevented me from being distracted by the phone while driving.

It isn't a matter of love. It is a matter of forgetfulness for something that has become a habit. Our minds forget things we do over and over again all the time, especially if we are thinking about something outside the immediate task or what complex thing to do next. Forgetting common things is part of how our brain works. This is a feature, not a bug, until it causes harm. It would be really bad if we didn't forget stuff.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

No excuse for this whatsoever.

Punish this animal to the full extent of the law.

No, I disagree with your comment. Please read Vivi's post and maybe you'll change your opinion slightly. Nobody's perfect, especially when we don't expect the unthinkable to happen, such as what happened in this case. I do feel for the father and whether he'll be fully forgiven by the rest of his family. I certainly hope so.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Pulled into a parking garage at a Las Vegas casino. I was to drop off my family, go park and meet them in the restaurant. My 2 year old in the car seat was with me because it's too heavy for my wife to carry. My son fell asleep while I was looking for parking. The car was silent. I parked, locked the door, and made the long walk into the casino. Inside the parking garage temperatures were 95 F in the summer. So 10 minutes later and fortunately before I got to the restaurant I suddenly remembered. I ran back to the car. Son is still asleep and no one the wiser. Yes, it can happen! Please don't tell my wife.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

How sad if he comes back around noon they could save the girl.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I am also a father of three boys. I confess that I had forgot to pick up my youngest kid at school on some occasions, had to be remembered by a phone call from the school ward... shameful... There are so many cases worldwide that would be highly advisable to all who have babies, little children to adopt some different routines, procedures, devices to reduce the possibilities of tragedies like this.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

And the school didn't contact the family when the girl didn't show up that day?

Agreed.

Not to take the blame away from the father, but standard protocol when a child doesn't arrive at a kindergarten/ school as scheduled, is to contact the parents immediately. If the school had not received a previous communication regarding the child being absent on that day, then the school is partially to blame for this tragedy.

S

1 ( +1 / -0 )

very suspicious

0 ( +0 / -0 )

u_s__reamer

We don't know all the "facts" and nothing at all about the man so we can't judge.

Oh, I can judge alright. That man was 100% responsible for the completely avoidable death of his 2-year-old child. That was easy.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

As an older man, I just feel sad, not anger, just sad. The loss of an irreplaceable life, the pain of the parents... terrible. My prayers for the little one and her parents.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The more I look at this story, the more I believe he actually did just forget. That's terrible.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wonder how many of these harsh and judgmental comments are from people who have actually raised children? Seems many people think that they themselves are incapable of making mistakes.

I forgot my child once as well. Luckily it was in a parking garage and on a cool day. I realized my mistake maybe 20 minutes later, and found her comfortably asleep in her child seat. No one was the wiser. The life of a working parent with 3 kids can be incredibly busy and stressful. The parent might be fatigued and stressed out, as well as on auto-pilot. It literally could happen to anyone, and especially to those who think it could never happen to them.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

The only excuse he might have is that child seats are usually behind the driver's seat and rear facing, so the driver can't see the child in the car seat without putting up a mirror that goes on the headrest in the back (I've done this so I can see my child in the car seat behind me). Also, his daughter was probably asleep as kids often fall asleep on car rides.

The main thing as the driver is to install the mirror and take a look before you get out of the car.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

commanteer

I wonder how many of these harsh and judgmental comments are from people who have actually raised children? Seems many people think that they themselves are incapable of making mistakes.

Whether or not it was a mistake is irrelevant. He is still 100% to blame for his mistake.

(And I raised two children. So, I am familiar.)

0 ( +2 / -2 )

how does this keep happening?? it seems like every week there's another tragic story like this

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In this country, work comes before everything. This is really sad because people actually do forget things from time to time; phones, wallets, pets, and now kids. I am just surprised he didn't see the little girl in his rear view mirror. Pretty much everyone looks in it to see what's behind them, he could have easily seen her sitting back there. I know he's feeling pretty terrible right now, and his family.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Japan is one of the few countries where I can confidently say these things will unavoidably happen without a change to the work/life culture.

How many juveniles die in cars in America every year? Tons. The difference is, drugs are usually involved. It's never someone who is in a rush, with a daily routine rarely ever interrupted or changed. People need more free time. I feel like young children and new parents hardly even have a relationship in Japan anymore.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I find this story hard to believe. Something doesn't add up. How can you not notice there is a child in the car!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Not to take the blame away from the father, but standard protocol when a child doesn't arrive at a kindergarten/ school as scheduled, is to contact the parents immediately.

Agree! Again it's about following procedures. Just do it. It's will only take a few minutes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No excuse for this whatsoever.

Punish this animal to the full extent of the law.

No, I disagree with your comment. Please read Vivi's post and maybe you'll change your opinion slightly.

No excuses.

Period.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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