Editorials
Leaving a child to die in a vehicle is incomprehensible
Highlands Today
Published: September 13, 2012
The beautiful little girl who died from heat stroke after her father supposedly left her in a car is yet another heartbreaking story of a horrendous death due to carelessness. We hear about it all too often and it leaves most people shaking their heads, wondering how such a thing can happen.Published: September 13, 2012
Christopher Sneed King was arrested for aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect resulting in great bodily harm.
His arrest followed the death of his 2-year-old daughter, who was left in his vehicle.
Anyone who has had small children has a difficult time imagining how this can happen. Most parents' constant thoughts when they are with the kids are "Where are they?" anytime we are in the car or anywhere else.
Just as tragic are the cases when a toddler falls into a home swimming pool and drowns. But these cases are a bit different most of the time. All it takes is a split second for a toddler to bolt out of an unsecured area and fall into a pool. A child left in a car takes longer to succumb and seems more inexplicable, although it doesn't take long for the heat in a vehicle to climb to a potentially deadly situation.
We don't know the circumstances behind this little girl's death, but there are not any excuses good enough. Being responsible and protecting your child from this kind of thing goes without saying. The tragedy is unthinkable.
Our hearts go out to the family of this little girl. We cannot imagine your grief. To parents and caregivers of small children, let this be a horrible lesson to learn from.
If you have a child with you, nothing is more important than their care and safety. That requires all your attention and focus being on that child and his or her well-being. Accidents happen, but there are no excuses for accidents like this.