Six-Month­-Old Left in a Car in Kfar Chabad

A six-month-old infant has been hospitalized after being left in a hot car for a duration of time. The child, who was visiting grandparents in Kfar Chabad, Israel, was visiting from the United States.

The incident occurred today, Wednesday, at around 2:40pm local time, the infant was visiting with his parents from the United States. They had stopped in Kfar Chabad and were visiting the child’s grandparents when he was forgotten in the car for approximately 30 minutes.

“When I arrived at the scene I observed a small child outside the vehicle” said Ariel Chadad, a Magen David Adom paramedic, “I was told that he was inside a locked vehicle for approximately 30 minutes. He was conscious and crying, with signs of heat stroke. We gave him initial medical care at the scene then we took him to the hospital in stable condition.”

At the hospital doctors said his conditioned worsened and is currently listed in moderate condition.

Israeli police have issued the following statement “we received notification of an incident where a child was left in a vehicle in a neighborhood in central Israel. Medical personal evacuated the child to the Asaf Harofeh hospital and is in moderate condition. The circumstances surrounding this incident is currently being investigated.”

24 Comments

  • Ch'er

    How do you forget your child. Hashems gift to you. Your heart n soul your blood your CHILD

    I just don’t get it.

    Sorry I’m upset when I see this. Just can’t comprehend how one can forget a child. I’m mind boggled.

    Refuah Shlaima. Name please for tehillim

    • Yanki

      After such vilifying comments, which relative would want to release identifying names?!

    • Mother

      I feel the same way. It just doesn’t make any sense. Not blaming anyone, just trying to understand how it can happen.

      We just got a new car with digital messages. It tells us when we switch off the engine: Do not forget your phone. It doesn’t say anything about remembering your kids!

      I guess car manufacturers have their priorities.

    • It happened to me

      I forgot my first child in the car once, fortunately it turned out completely uneventful (and Mommy never knew about it)/.

      I now how many more B”H and they are doing fine.

      It’s a stretch to assume a priori that you are better than me.

      The parents are suffering more than you are.

      Back off.

  • 32y

    #1, your words speak for many of us.
    I just read about a fan which was designed to go on in a car when the temp in the car got too hot.
    the only problem is that it might make it even easier for someone to leave a child in the car, and we know that there are other dangers to leaving a child in the car.
    A child must be supervised at all times.
    Either the parent is neglectful or abusive, or they are clueless.
    do we need a license to raise a child?
    if not, then maybe mandatory training for basics.

  • That's a good question.

    If you really want an answer to your question then you can read up on how the “Basal Ganglia” works, and how even the best parents can make this mistake when they have a change in routine or are under stress.
    See here: http://www.parents.com/baby/safety/car/danger-of-hot-car-for-children/

    But I suspect that you don’t really want an answer. Rather you are critisizing others becuase it makes you feel better when you put others down and distance yourself from their behavior (see the article I linked to above).

    I’m sure the parents are suffering enough with a child in the hospital while they are plagued with feelings of guilt. They don’t need your judgement and critisism.

    • 32y

      ok, they are suffering and we don’t wish that on anyone. But really, don’t people remember the horrific stories in the last few years of (Jewish) familes leaving and losing their children? To hear it happen to someone else is not enough of a wake-up call? I am not enjoying putting people down, I am trying to understand why this happens when we see that others have already suffered from this

    • b33

      I read both sides of the opinions. One defending the parent who doesnt mean to do it, and the other side which says that it is unacceptable to do it, how could someone “mistakenly” do it, etc.
      all I can add is:
      if an infant could speak, what would they say about this.
      we forget that its not just the parents in this.

  • seriously

    its so easy to blame and point fingers until one day it will happen to you. maybe one parent thinks the other parent took the child out of the car and vs vs its so easy to happen. It does not mean you dont love your child.
    a little less blame please.

  • disappointed

    Those who don’t like the question being asked too bad! accidental or not no matter where you are there is no excuse for leaving a small unattended child in a car especially on that is locked which means closed engine off in any weather. when one turns the engine off they generally exit the vehicle to do that you must physically slide out of the car stand up & close the door most look at their car check the locks. how do yo forget a child is inside? how do you not see it?

    • It happened to me

      you didn’t write anything but vapor

      what does no excuse even mean

      no one can answer your questions because they aren’t answerable but you will continue to you ‘ask’ them because it makes you feel good, there is no other reason

      if only you were as aggrieved at your own failures as you are at those of others

  • CH resident

    How about an update on how the child is doing?
    Refuah shelaimah

  • Anon

    I just dont understand how it can happen. If you are visiting grandparents, wouldnt the grandparents question to the whereabouts of the grandchild who they would like to see? Wouldnt the parents want to bring their child in to see the grandparents? Furthermore, the parents were BOTH present.. NEITHER one of them noticed missing child for such a long period of time?

    Hmm.. Something is not adding up.

    • It happened to me

      if you could fathom every instance of absent minded foolishness than you would be very special indeed, but never let it go if you can assume malice

  • chaim

    Not that I’m justifying it but on the Israeli sites it was reported that the windows “were” left open.

  • c

    The fact is that it does happen and it happens to kind, caring and loving parents. Since it does happen devices are being made to alert and remind people they have a baby in the car. It happened to me once when I was with a friend in NY. We were driving for some and deep in conversation with the baby sleeping in the back seat when we decided to stop and check out a store. We totally forgot my son was in the back child seat. Thank God I remembered after a few minutes and he was okay. My children are my life and I would trade mine for theirs but this does happen to good people.

  • A new American trend?

    Child probably arrived sleeping in the car and. Thank you Hashem for saving this child

  • Anonymous

    Don’t judge your friend until you have come to his place.
    I wouldn’t want to be in the parents shoes. Refuah Shelaimah to the baby. Moshiach now!

  • chaya

    all car seats should come with alarms that are set once the child is put in. maybe auto set to beep every five minutes or so..something has to be done.

  • Stop judging

    Cuz this could happen to the best parents on the planet. ..even those here who would never ever make or ‘understand’ such a mistake.
    It’s high time we realize Gd runs the world and that ppl are ppl, that make horrific mistakes that they themselves cannot bear and need to live with, and our demeaning remarks won’t help anyone (unless the person making them feels better about themselves by putting someone down?)
    Let’s grieve over tragedies together instead of pointing fingers