4-Year-Old Left Trapped Inside Hot Van at Daycare, Frantically Honks Horn
Child neglect is a tragic thing. Not all parents are able to stay home with their children. When daycare or a nanny become necessary, a parent should be able to trust whoever they leave their children with.
Sadly, this is all-too-often simply not the case. Children are abused and mistreated by those who are supposed to be providing a safe and loving environment.
In the summer months, we hear too many stories of children being left in hot cars. In May, USA Today reported that an average of 37 children per year die from being left in an overheated vehicle.
Even one is far too many, let alone numbers rising into the dozens. After reports like these, one might think parents and caregivers would learn that leaving a child in a hot car is dangerous and deadly.
But situations like these continue to happen every day.
An unlicensed daycare located in New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta is under investigation following a case of alleged child neglect.
According to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, a group of daycare workers were arrested after allegedly leaving a 4-year-old boy under their care in a hot van.
The daycare in question is Evelyn Redmond Christian Academy. It is unknown at this time whether the boy left in the vehicle was forgotten or placed in the van purposely as punishment.
The reporter on the scene said she spoke with neighbors and parents about the incident. A police report revealed it was a neighbor who found the boy, and only because he honked the horn of the van over and over again.
The neighbor called 911. The report said the 4-year-old was half clothed, sweating, and crying. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment. He is said to have been in the van for close to an hour.
The reporter said she saw the daycare sign being taken down during her time there. The reverend of the church where the daycare is located declined to comment.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that the women who were arrested by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office are Pamela Bryant, Ashley Jordan, Shanan Shealey, and Starshemoha Baty.
No further reports have been made regarding the charges these women face, or if the unlicensed daycare will remain open.
Parents shared with the reporter on scene that they knew nothing about what happened that day. We are unaware at this time how the boy is doing or what his parents had to say about the ordeal.
However, his story serves as an extremely important reminder that leaving a child in a hot car unattended, no matter how long, is extremely dangerous. It only takes minutes for temperatures to rise beyond what a young child’s body — and even an adult’s — can bear before things take a deadly turn.
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