Headline News stories of tragic accidents involving a baby or young child.

Published : Thursday, 09 Apr 2009, 9:43 PM CDT  Monica Landeros - A four month old boy is dead after being left in a van by staff at his daycare. Milwaukee police said the baby might have been in the van for as long as five hours. Bumble Bee Daycare Center was swarmed by police and parents on Thursday afternoon. Police say four month old Jalen Perkins was left in a van in the parking lot from about 8:30 in the morning until around two in the afternoon. His grandmother is in disbelief. "What took them so long to discover that he wasn't there? I mean from 8:30 in the morning to 2 o'clock in the afternoon? And they just discovered that he wasn't in the building? That's a long time. (These) are babies we're talking about," said Remona Williams, Jalen's grandmother. Outside of the daycare two women sat on the ground, hugging and crying, as police kept back onlookers.
"Carelessness, carelessness. That's all. That van should be checked!" said Devonia Web, a concerned parent. Parents rushed to the daycare all afternoon to pick up their children, with a lot of questions. "I just left work terrified. no one in there in answering the phones. I don't know what is going on," said Web. A sign outside of the daycare sign reads "Now open, Enrolling all ages," though the state immediately shut down the child care center and is investigating. The Department of Children and Family Services said, "All of us at DCF are shocked and saddened by the death of this innocent child. Our thoughts and prayers are with this child's family as we take action to ensure that children are safe and workers are held accountable." "t's just devastating. It breaks my heart," said Bobbie Spain, a concerned grandparent. "(This is) neglect, absolutely no one is paying attention to our future. It hurts," said Rhena Thompson. Police have arrested a 44-year-old driver from the child care center. Milwaukee are recommending the man receive a felony charge of leaving a child in a child care vehicle unattended. The temperature reached 53 degrees in Milwaukee Thursday around noon. No word on the temperature inside the van where Perkins died. The state says the owner of Bumble Bee Day Care Center also owns another child care center. The business has also been shut down. http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/wluk_news_milwaukee_infant_dies_in_van_200904092140_rev1

by Drew Engelbart and Channing Turner - Apr. 8, 2009 05:09 PM The Arizona Republic

A 4-year-old boy discovered in a pool with his sister died after being rushed to a Phoenix hospital in extremely critical condition Friday. t was unknown how long the boy was in the pool at 6948 W. Haven Ave., according to the Phoenix Fire Department. The boy and his 5-year-old sister climbed over the fence guarding the family pool while their father was sleeping inside the house, Phoenix Fire Capt. Shelly Jamison said. The two children got into the pool, and the boy went under water while the girl only went chest deep. The girl started screaming when the boy began to drown. The screams woke the father, who pulled the boy out of the pool and began CPR. Fire officials arrived to find the boy not breathing and without a pulse, Jamison said. The pool was only about half-full of murky water, possibly contributing to the boy's death. The 5-year-old girl was also transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure after being exposed to the dirty water, Jamison said. According to police, 13 drowning or near-drowning incidents have occurred in Phoenix this year — 10 of which involved children under 5. The only other fatal drowning this year involved an adult. http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/04/08/20090408abrk-phxneardrowning0408.html

By Jeff Starck • Wausau Daily Herald • April 8, 2009 A 10-month-old Wausau boy died Monday of accidental suffocation after sharing a bed with its mother, police said. Police Chief Jeff Hardel said Wednesday that Gavin Robinson died while he slept on a futon-like bed with his 20-year-old mother, Cierra Deal. Police were called at 9:30 a.m. to a South Third Avenue home for a report of a child who was not breathing, Hardel said. Hardel said the child shared a futon-like bed with an adult, the child's mother. Investigators have not determined what caused the boy to suffocate, but loose blankets, other items on the bed and the adult were possible factors found at the scene, Hardel said. 
Marathon County Medical Examiner John Larson said police still are investigating whether alcohol or drugs were used by the mother. The department has asked the Marathon County district attorney's office to review its report. A 3-month-old boy died Sunday in Milwaukee after his grandmother apparently smothered him as they slept on a couch, authorities said. It was the second co-sleeping death of a Milwaukee infant in the past month and both cases involved use of alcohol by the adult who slept with the child. Linda Botwinski, who teaches child safety to parents as an educator for the Family Resource Center in Wausau, said sharing a bed with a child is dangerous. There were seven sudden deaths of infants in 2007 in central Wisconsin, six of which were due to accidental asphyxiation, she said. "We don't recommend ever having a baby sleep with you," Botwinski said. "When they are 2, 3, or 4, once in a while is OK, but you can still roll over." If a person does share a bed with a young child, they should get a bed that has an attachment so the baby is near them, but can't be rolled on, Botwinski said. Blankets, pillows and toys should never be left in a crib or bed with a baby, she said. Most importantly, babies should sleep on their back to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Other sleeping arrangements can be dangerous. Children can slip between couch cushions or be pressed against the backrest. They also can sink in the folds of a waterbed.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090408/WDH0101/904080614/1981/WDHopinion


 

by Sasha Malekooti - Apr. 7, 2009 10:36 AM The Arizona Republic A 16-month-old boy was hit by a car in the driveway of his home near 59th Avenue and Indian School Road Monday afternoon, Phoenix police report. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene, a Phoenix police department press release reported. He was described as an older Hispanic male weighing 200 pounds, 5 feet 7 inches tall, wearing a red flannel shirt and jeans with gray/black hair, according to police. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m.Police have learned that the father of the boy listed a vehicle for sale on Craigslist and the suspect, in response to the ad, went to the home to buy the vehicle, the press release reported. The boy was in the driveway of the home with the men as the transaction was completed, and the father returned inside thinking the boy had followed him, the press release said. Shortly after, the father heard screaming coming from the driveway and went out to find the driver holding the boy, claiming the victim had fallen down, the press release said. The driver handed the child to his father and left the home in a 2000-2004 tan Ford Explorer, the press release said. The boy was transported to a local hospital by his parents where further investigation revealed the child's injuries to be too extensive for a fall. The injuries were considered to be critical, the press release said. Police later found indications that the boy had been struck by the vehicle, the press release said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/07/20090407abrk-childhitbycar0407.html

Posted by Casey McNerthney at April 6, 2009 4:24 p.m Child Safety:  A baby boy who was left unattended Monday was found dead in a Lynnwood parking lot, and police are interviewing the boy's mother. Officers were called to the 18600 block of 60th Avenue West after the boy, believed to be about 1-year-old, was found unresponsive in his mother's car. He had been left in her car since Monday morning, officers said. "She works here at the assisted living home," Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said about 4:20 p.m. "She's being interviewed right now." http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/165816.asp?source=mypi 

JONESBORO, Ga. Michael King April 6, 2009 A one-year old boy has died after being struck by a car at a local church. The accident happened at around 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. The child was struck in the parking lot at the House of Prayer All Nations Worldwide Ministries at 737 Veterans Parkway in Jonesboro. Auto Safety A group was meeting at the church. When one person was leaving, she said she felt a bump. She got out of the car and found the toddler. She said she rushed inside to get help and to call 911. The woman driving was a close relative of the boy. The family took the boy to Southern Regional Medical Center, where the child later died. Authorities said they do not plan to charge the woman, and are calling the situation a "tragic accident."

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=128762&catid=8

Catherine Holland / azfamily.com 06:26 AM Mountain Standard Time on Monday, April 6, 2009PHOENIX -- Three people, including a 1-year-old girl, are dead after a wreck between a small car and a semi truck. It happened Sunday at 51st Avenue and Van Buren Street. Police said the semi T-boned the white Cadillac. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found four people trapped inside the car. Auto Safety A 1-year-old girl and a young woman in the front passenger seat were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said the baby girl was strapped into a car seat, but the crash was so severe that it didn't help.

 http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/phoenix-local-news-040609-baby-killed-car-semi.aa9a89e4.html