The Baltimore Jewish community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a 1-year-old boy who, according to initial reports, was Niftar after being left inside a hot vehicle on Thursday.
The child was the son of a respected member of the local kollel community. Levaya arrangements are expected to be announced later.
In response to the tragedy, an Asifas Chizuk for the women of the community has been scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Thursday at the “New House,” located at 6329 Green Meadow Parkway. Rabbonim, together with representatives from Chai Lifeline, are expected to offer words of chizuk and support to those affected by the devastating loss.
The tragedy is the latest in a string of hot-car deaths that claim the lives of young children across the country every year, particularly during the warmer months. Safety advocates have long urged parents, drivers, and carpool operators to implement systems, such as placing a personal item in the back seat, verifying head counts upon arrival, or using car seat alarms, to prevent these heartbreaking incidents.
YWN does not like posting these tragedies, but we have no choice but to keep doing it, because these stories never seem to stop.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
15 Responses
Dear H”M I cry out to you in anguish over this tragic mistake by the family of this Niftar Boy. Dear H”M, once more I face this kind of tragedy with utmost trepidation and remorse over the events leading up to the demise of this heart struck in heat, boy. He must have been crying out for his Mamela and Tatela. May no more tragedies like this happen ever again. Please G-D, please comfort this grieving family and with all those mourning in Tzion. Amein .
BD’E, hashem should give the family koach to overcome this if it’s even possible, but with hashem nothing is impossible.
This is just a general statement, not addressing any specific person here.
This is not my 1st, but I pray it’s the last time I write about it.
I’m sorry, everyone.
I know what y’all going to say after reading this, aren’t you going a bit too far? Be more sensitive, YWN shouldn’t have posted this, etc., etc., etc.
But I’m not apologizing for having Rachmans on a little child/baby, or on the unfortunate generations not to come.
Why is it that we don’t forget a tub of ice cream in the car, especially when it’s extremely hot, but yet when it comes to a precious Neshama, we have all kinds of excuses, like Don’t judge me, I’m going through a lot! Aren’t we all going through a lot?
Another one I always hear: “easy for you to say, you don’t know what it is like being a single parent (either way) and juggling back and forth with a handful of kids.”
What kind of an excuse is that? Tell that to the unresponsive child in a car that felt like 115 degrees.
The worst I’ve ever heard was, things happen for a reason and we don’t understand why, how dare you even think like that when we are the ones guilty of it.
There are 101 other excuses in the book, and none of them will ever justify leaving a child in a car, hot/cold.
Had this happen once or twice, which in itself is way too many, I might roll my eyes and “maybe” just maybe kept my mouth shut, but every summer, and I mean literally every summer, there is another story here or abroad that a child was left in a hot car and….
So please, please, I’m begging you with all my heart, let’s get through the rest of the summer without any more of these horrible situations
.
And by doing so, Hashem will have Rachmans, shower, and give us our well-deserved happiness by bringing Moshiach.
Thank you
I have never posted on YWN, and I actually usually try to stay away from the comments section. But this time I had to. YWN: there is something called sensitivity. Yes, I also believe it’s important. But even Baltimore doesn’t know what happened yet. Let us do things in our way, and you be quiet until tomorrow.
Additionally, the implication that “stories keep happening” because the people involved don’t care or aren’t careful enough is out of place. You can encourage people to be careful without being backhandedly snide and judgmental. I know this family. *I* am very careful – do head checks, put things in the backseat, etc, even before there were “systems.” And I have left sleeping children in the car once or twice in my parenting career. Hashem saved me. I can give a public shout out to Chaveirim of Baltimore who hangs signs about checking the backseat on every store door in town, as they have reminded me. But you can put your purse and one of your shoes in the back, wear a bracelet, have a device every time – except that people are human, and all you need is to forget once. No, you can’t be careless and then say “everything is up to Hashem” – but yes, that element comes into play here, as well.
May we share besuros tovos for Klal Yisroel and be zoche to the geulah sheleima soon.
Every carpool
Must have a group text that the driver needs to write the names of the kids he dropped off, if text is not sent, the family is dropped from the carpool and must pay a 500$ fine to the other carpool families.
If people don’t have time to text the names of kids they dropped off, then they should not have kids, and should not drive carpools.
This is a solution, others may have another, but a system must be put in place.
Lest one believe the only tragedy is the loss of life, it would be responsible to note a few other tragedies in each such case.
1. Chilul Hashem. No explanation needed.
2. Almost certain loss of custody for all other children.
3. Family division. Usually one parent was guilty. Other family members and spouse are likely to react negatively.
4. Mental health issues are to be expected. Even if not a pre-existing condition, it would be likely to be in reaction to a life altering event.
5. Legal issues are a strong possibility.
YWN
Posting the stories will not make them stop as the awareness is high enough already but the type of lives we live today is conducive to making this terrible mistake. However please keep posting them anyway so we can be nose be’ol with Klal Yisroel’s tzoros.
May the family have a nechama
ברוך דיין האמת
@bitochun I have forgotten Ice Cream or teffilin in a hot car.
100,000’s of kids multiplied by 4 drives/day, multiplied by 100 (or more) days== over 50 million times a kid must be removed from a car (just in the states’ frum population alone) every hot season. IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT- keep trying for sure, but don’t treat our success rate as a failure of the system, accusing Frum Jews of not caring about kids enough. PERFECTION is a myth. Don’t get frantic and emotional- rather go right now, and do something to help in some way.
A solution to the headline we saw last night (Athena is ready)Hi,I am writing this with a heavy heart. Following the tragic news last night of another child left in a car, my phone has been flooded with messages asking one question: “What are we waiting for?”For years, I have been working to bring Athena—the only patented, comprehensive solution for preventing hot car deaths—to the aftermarket.Just last month, we showcased Athena to thousands of attendees at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv. The technology is already proven. Tier-1 suppliers and automakers are integrated with it, and it will become a standard built-in feature (“Escalation Decision Resolution” or EDR) in most new vehicles over the next two years.But new cars do not protect the millions of children riding in older vehicles on the road today.The hardest truth of this tragedy is that it happens to the most loving, attentive families. It can happen to anyone.I am making a personal plea to find the right partner or investor who wants to make meaningful money by saving children from death and lifelong injuries. If you are that person—or if you can connect us to them—please contact me immediately.Every single day we wait is another day we risk reading another preventable headline. Hashem forbid.
Hate to do this but since so many comments about this and other similar tragedies continue to erroneously use the word “mistake”
Here is the Legal definition of negligence
A failure to behave with the level of care that a “reasonable person” would use under the same circumstances.
And that is the halachic definition also. So please do not downplay the level of responsibility here
When parking your car on a hot day, leave every window in the car open 1-2 inches. This will prevent the car interior from getting too hot, as the hot air has room to escape.
The problem is we are chronically rushed, lost in thought and distracted. There is a simple, free, automated solution for the majority of drivers.
Every Waze user should be aware of a BUILT-IN ‘Child reminder’. I leave it on permanently although I rarely transport a child. Even lost in thought this message always brings me back to reality.
It must be turned on in Settings under Reminders. When your destination is reached a distinct chime sounds, and a pop-up alert appears on the screen that requires a tap to dismiss.
Much more effective is the option to type in a custom message that the Waze voice speaks aloud, in addition to “You have reached your destination.”
Currently, my message reads: “Headlights, phone and keys; check for a child” (developed for other things I have forgotten upon leaving my car}.
This tragedy tends to happen when there is even a slight change in routine. It happens to even the most conscientious parent. In one tragic case several years ago, mother had a doctor’s appointment so the father took the child and unfortunately forgot the child was asleep in the back seat. When tragedies like this or other types happen, we need to look inward and examine what is Hashem trying to tell us.
This is the answer; please contribute https://59seconds.org/baltimore