Boy who died in car had been left 'by mistake'

As of Wednesday, February 15, 2017

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE three-year-old boy who died on Monday was “mistakenly left in a car” for nearly six hours before he was found unresponsive and rushed to hospital, according to Officer-in-Charge of the Central Detective Unit, Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander.

He added that police believe the child “suffocated” after being in the vehicle for the extended period.

The toddler was discovered shortly after 2pm by a daycare worker at the child’s preschool off Coleman Lane.

Chief Supt Fernander said the toddler was left in the car “by mistake” after he was picked up by one of the teachers, who took him to school. He said the family and the teacher are both “distraught”.

“It appears as though one of the teachers who usually picks up the kids from home accidentally left one of the toddlers in the car,” he said.

“When they missed the child, while doing a head count, they noticed he was not there and when they discovered him he was in the car unresponsive,” Chief Supt Fernander added. “The child was not strapped in the car, she (the daycare worker) picked him up along with some other students and from what we gather she forgot him. We are trying to put the pieces together.

“It is sad and unfortunate. It appears as though the child just suffocated. The woman is distraught, she is a mother and, of course, you can understand the family is distraught as well.”

Chief Supt Fernander said the investigation is still in the early stages and police are still trying to put together all the pieces.

He said police will determine, after consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, if charges will be pressed.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.

viewersmatters 7 years, 2 months ago

Pure bullshyt!!! How the F any right thinking person could leave a whole damn human in a car for nearly six hours. Poor excuse for a teacher, parent or any guardian. This is negligence hands down charges most be brought to the teacher yes it's sad and unbearable news but no one should a child be left unattended to by any adult, how can anyone explain to any parent that due to their negligence and failure to properly take care of their child they the parent could never see their child alive again because they forgot to take the child out the damn car and realise the child was missing when it's time for school to out! What on earth do the police department or AG office has to think about automatically that teacher and those responsible supposed to be arrested and brought before the courts. Government really has to be careful issuing daycare license to those who aren't fit and qualify to be there... My prayers and heart goes out to the parents that's the worst news any parent could get.

Publius 7 years, 2 months ago

What?!

John 7 years, 2 months ago

An innocent life has been lost here and I think we should excercise restraint and caution and recognize the sensitivity of this matter. Not to jump to conclusions before all the facts are known and point fingers. Hopefully answers are forthcoming. Condolences to everyone this tragic event has affected.

viewersmatters 7 years, 2 months ago

Yes this is a very sensitive event and it's sad but how can anyone pick up a child from their loving parents and home carry them to school enter the classroom fail to ensure all kids are in the school building and when school outs and parents start picking up Thier kids the teachers realise a child is missing... Poor negligence.. fingers could be pointed because one must ask and wonder after that teacher parked the vehicle was she the first one out the vehicle, did she event escorted the kids inside the building, sane like she was the first one in the building and didn't Ensure all kids came inside the building safely and after school would had started did she or him even check on the kids to realise a whole child is left in the vehicle. This isn't no mistake this is poor negligence and someone most be held accountable. This is showing that at any given time a child could wonder off without being noticed and even worst a child could be abducted without no one realising it. There is no excuse for the action.

sealice 7 years, 2 months ago

Mistakenly left in the car - dumb ass mother fluckers expect people to feel sorry for them? The teacher left the kid in the car and there are still students going to that school? It's called murder and it's time for people to dy in this country whether it's careless or not you killed someone

Publius 7 years, 2 months ago

Unregulated daycare and preschool facilities is a major problem in New Providence and the authorities are not doing nearly enough about it. As it always happens, someone has to die before people pay attention to what they all already know exists.

ohdrap4 7 years, 2 months ago

there was a time when the FNM required the people in preschools to have a cargegiver certificate, I think that requirement is no longer enforced.

do the preschools carry liability insurance?

thomas 7 years, 2 months ago

Pure slackness in a country where anything goes. Was the teacher licensed and insured to transport children? Was this a service that the school provided and was authorized to do? If only we had a functioning judicial system?

viewersmatters 7 years, 2 months ago

Two to one this teacher picked up this child from their home alive and safe, the child fell asleep in the back of the vehicle, the teacher arrived at school open the door to let the kids out, the kids came out and one was left inside and the teacher didn't made a proper head count, the escort the kids inside still not realizing that there is one less kid in attendance. Many infractions happened in this situation; first of all by law every and all kids including everyone on the whole supposed to be properly strapped down and wearing a seat belt while in a vehicle, if the teacher had place the kids into their seat belts upon arrival at school that teacher supposed to also removed all seat belts from each and every child and she wouldn't had missed anyone inside the vehicle. Secondly if your picking up people children your supposed to carry them to and from their destination safely so if 12 kids were picked up and you notice only 11 kids present in the class your red flag supposed to get raised and if you know you picked up jon or Jerry from home and didn't saw them come out the vehicle or into the building you supposed to know a child is missing. This may cause one to really think if this story is what happened or did an accident really happened and the child being left in a vehicle is just a covered up?

B_I_D___ 7 years, 2 months ago

Any other civilized country and that teacher would be locked up for manslaughter and/or negligence...stateside, the school and teacher would be sued out of existence.

sealice 7 years, 2 months ago

no no come on she's a good teacher.... you know a good teacher....

EasternGate 7 years, 2 months ago

Justice in this country is too dam slack in the Bahamas! that teacher should be charged!

Publius 7 years, 2 months ago

I have to wonder whether the child died under the circumstances stated in this story.

birdiestrachan 7 years, 2 months ago

very unfortunate. Do they call rolls?. These things happen, mistakes are made they must all be grief stricken. No need to beat up on them, they must all be flogging themselves. I am sorry for all concerned.

sealice 7 years, 2 months ago

this fool will make up an apology for anyone.....

ohdrap4 7 years, 2 months ago

except for her nemesis, the outspoken QC.

ThisIsOurs 7 years, 2 months ago

I'm almost certain not many, if any, schools in the Bahamas has a formal protocol for 1. Who is supposed to be picked up 2. Who was actually picked up and 3. Who was dropped off safely. This would include a check by the teacher and a secondary check by someone removed from the pickup. Sometimes when bad things happen to children you wonder why, this child was only three, and their life ended too early. Perhaps they came to prevent a bigger crisis or to bring light to this very issue. I'm also certain no prison will punish the teacher more than their own mind.

sp1nks 7 years, 2 months ago

Yes, it is possible to forgot a child in a car. This is simply sad all around. I know people are fed up, but we can't lock people up until slackness doesn't exist. We were at our best when we had compassion and weren't so vengeful. Whoever did this will probably be haunted for the rest of their life. Use that space in Fox Hill for the brazen, lawless thugs shooting people down indiscriminately, not someone trying so hard to survive that they're living in a haze.

thomas 7 years, 2 months ago

There is a reason why we need a special license and insurance to transport passengers. It is not legal to use your private vehicle. Laws are in place for a reason.

Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 2 months ago

The much bigger and sadder story is the thousands of very elderly and very young Bahamians whose lives have been pre-maturely snuffed out because they were unable to receive essential basic healthcare and vital medicines they so desperately needed to survive as a result of the failed social and economic policies of the Crooked Christie-led corrupt PLP government. Many of our most vulnerable people are dying horrible deaths every day in our country not because of crime, but because of Crooked Christie. Yes, it is the greedy Crooked Christie who has dealt them a pre-mature death sentence while he and his equally greedy and corrupt cronies always seek and obtain the best possible medical care abroad.

BMW 7 years, 2 months ago

Mistake my ass! Suffocated my ass,that young child died of heatstroke basically slow cooked in the hot car. Are we so uneducated, and tribal that we treat the death of an innocent child as a fucking mistake. Give me a break, the person who picked up the child is responsible for his well being! I guess in these people uneducated minds excuses are the reality. Birdie you disgust me with your uneducated bull shit. R.I.P. young child you are in a better place than most of us are in this country.

Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 2 months ago

Gross negligence resulting in the death of another. Any lesser charge would be a grave miscarriage of justice. It's as simple as that!

ThisIsOurs 7 years, 2 months ago

It is gross negligence, but this was an accident, not an "on purpose". The person responsible should probably not be allowed to have any young child under their direct care (without supervision). There's just no good outcome in this. I can't begin to think of the pain the parents are going through or the torment the teacher is in.

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