Walmart Employees Break Window of Car To Save Lethargic Baby Left Trapped Inside
It happens far too often: with all the stories circulating about leaving kids and pets in cars, you would think that it would stop happening.
But it hasn’t. A recent case took place Tuesday, around 5:00 p.m., in the parking lot of a Walmart in Alabama.
An employee on break saw a woman get out of her car. The woman was carrying a toddler, and she shut the car and went into the store.
Normal actions. Nothing to be concerned about. But when that employee passed the car again later, he noticed that there was still a child inside the car.
Between 15 and 20 minutes had passed since the mom had gone into the store, and the car’s windows were shut. The baby was in distress.
Knowing that time was of the essence, the employee gathered a group of people nearby to help break the windows and save the child.
They got him out and rushed him into the store to cool him down. The 8-month-old baby’s face was red and he was lethargic, but thankfully the observant employee had acted in time to save him.
The police arrived to handle the situation and discovered that the mother, Casey Hornsby, had “forgotten” that her baby was in the back seat.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that has happened. It seems like a horrible excuse — how could a mother forget her own child?
It’s tragic, but it’s been known to happen, especially when the baby seat is in the back and the person who forgot the child is not following their normal routine.
Some people suggest keeping your phone or purse or other items near the car seat — not close enough so the baby can reach it, but close enough so you remember to grab it and your child before going anywhere.
There are cases where sheer neglect is to blame for heat-related car deaths. Some parents knowingly leave their kids in the car when they run errands.
But forgetfulness is even more heartbreaking because it’s usually done by well-meaning parents or family members who do really love and care for the children.
It’s impossible to say if this mom was frazzled and truly did forget the child or whether she knowingly left the baby in the car because it was easier, but the result would have been the same: If that employee had not noticed the baby boy in the back of the car and he’d been left there longer, he would have died.
Hornsby is now being charged with endangering the welfare of her child, and her children have been put in their father’s care. Fortunately for the two little ones, they are safe and hopefully in more capable hands.
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