Author Topic: Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death  (Read 2259 times)

Mom to 5

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Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death
« on: July 30, 2014, 06:57:38 PM »
Has anyone followed this story in the news? What is your take on it? Do you believe he is innocent? What about his wife, Leanna?

Also, I must ask, how normal is it for someone to forget a child in the car? It must happen other times of the year, but we just hear about it in the hottest days of summer. I can't relate to forgetting a child, but I don't want to be so quick to assume the worst of parents. However, in the Harris case, there are several things that raise questions.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2014, 07:17:59 PM »
I have not followed this specific case--a quick glance suggests that police think he did it in purpose. (Shudders.)

A few years back, there was an extremely moving, largely sympathetic, Pulitzer Prize-winning feature about people who have done this accidentally:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html

iris lily

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Re: Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2014, 07:31:52 PM »
Has anyone followed this story in the news? What is your take on it? Do you believe he is innocent? What about his wife, Leanna?

Also, I must ask, how normal is it for someone to forget a child in the car? It must happen other times of the year, but we just hear about it in the hottest days of summer. I can't relate to forgetting a child, but I don't want to be so quick to assume the worst of parents. However, in the Harris case, there are several things that raise questions.

We had a particularly horrific episode of baby death in hot car a few years ago in my city, horrific because it was two parents with high performance careers and I think one was even in pediatric medicine.  As a result of that I read up a little on the phenomena and learned that there is a band of parents who are responsible for hot-car deaths who travel to judicial hearings about these issues, doing so as their penance. wow. To me that is unspeakably--poignant and horrifying. Like the religious practitioners of flagellation, they immerse themselves in details of these deaths, getting pain to gain forgiveness.

And forgetting a kid in a car? I would be more like the parents so set a baby in seat on top of the car and drive off. Note to readers: I don't have children, relax.

The time my car was stolen because it was unlocked was one of the time I was focused on getting a rescue dog out of the car and was distracted from my usual routine. And that is the problem--relying on routine and in these cases often something different happens to distracted parents.

dragoncar

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Re: Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2014, 07:32:38 PM »
congratulations, you win the award for worst thread title ever

Cassie

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Re: Justin Ross Harris - hot car/baby death
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2014, 02:20:32 PM »
From what I have heard about this case I think he wanted out of the marriage and did not want to be burdened with a child.  Not sure about the Mom.  There have been very sad cases when people with high pressure jobs deviated from their regular routine and did this.  One suggestion that I have heard is to put your purse/briefcase, etc in the back with the baby. That way when you get to work you will have to go in the back seat for something you need for work.  I had a bad habit of putting my infant son in his carseat & putting it on the trunk while I strapped my 3 yo in the car.  One day I got in the car and was ready to backup when I realized he was still on the trunk.  Needless to say I was scared to death and changed my routine to put the baby in first then the toddler.  Accidents do happen but some of these are not accidents.