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Toddler left alone while parents play at Disney World
Filed under: Just For Moms, Toddlers Preschoolers, Just For Dads, Activities: Babies, Places To Go
Taking a three year old to Disney World usually means skipping the really fun attractions. Instead of screaming through the Tower of Terror, you will probably be spending more time at the Country Bear Jamboree. Or Cinderella's Carousel. Or, you could do what Juan Carlos and Danette Rodriguez did and conveniently 'forget' your child in her stroller while you go off to ride Pirates of The Caribbean.
According to Orange County Sheriff's Office, that is exactly what happened at Walt Disney World this past Saturday. A little three year old girl was found sitting in her stroller, alone, in the hot sun in the Magic Kingdom. She was discovered by park officials who say she was covered in sweat and appeared to be "lifeless." She didn't respond when paramedics tried to rouse her, but fortunately came around when they took her indoors and gave her water.
In a report, the Sheriff's office said: "[A paramedic] advised that if medical intervention had not been administered the female child was nearing signs of heat exhaustion with unknown results up to and including death."
Almost an hour after the girl was found, her parents came looking for her. They claim that the girl was asleep in her stroller when their group of two adults and four children approached the line for Pirates and somehow she got lost in the shuffle as they entered the attraction. They didn't notice the little girl wasn't with them until after they left the ride.
Carlos and Rodriquez were arrested and charged with child abuse. They have been released on bail, but their children are staying with relatives while the Department of Children and Families investigates the matter.
How do you forget a three year old?
According to Orange County Sheriff's Office, that is exactly what happened at Walt Disney World this past Saturday. A little three year old girl was found sitting in her stroller, alone, in the hot sun in the Magic Kingdom. She was discovered by park officials who say she was covered in sweat and appeared to be "lifeless." She didn't respond when paramedics tried to rouse her, but fortunately came around when they took her indoors and gave her water.
In a report, the Sheriff's office said: "[A paramedic] advised that if medical intervention had not been administered the female child was nearing signs of heat exhaustion with unknown results up to and including death."
Almost an hour after the girl was found, her parents came looking for her. They claim that the girl was asleep in her stroller when their group of two adults and four children approached the line for Pirates and somehow she got lost in the shuffle as they entered the attraction. They didn't notice the little girl wasn't with them until after they left the ride.
Carlos and Rodriquez were arrested and charged with child abuse. They have been released on bail, but their children are staying with relatives while the Department of Children and Families investigates the matter.
How do you forget a three year old?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-27-2007 @ 4:04PM
Kathleen said...Some people just shouldn't have kid! This is horrible! Thank goodness she was found in time.
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6-27-2007 @ 4:34PM
Courtney said...I have had nightmares about forgetting my children, but this is absolutely horrible. They do not deserve to have custody of their children.
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6-27-2007 @ 4:49PM
anderson_michelle_lee said...I will be the one to say that I hope they do not get the children back. How many heat related deaths do officials need to see each year to realize that there is a problem happening. I live in Las Vegas, and every year we face parents leaving the children in the car for the entire day while they are at work, then the children die and they want to say they forgot. I never have nightmares of forgetting my children anywhere. I know that this will not happen to me. I hope that they get what they deserve, though I know the law would not tie them up and force them to dehydrate. Maybe I am being too harsh, but as a mother, this is mortifying to me.
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6-27-2007 @ 6:49PM
nicolebarber said...I can understand if things become crazy especially when you have more then one child and you are at Disneyland But come on What happened to an action plan Hey husband I have so and so and you are responsible for so and so, this is just neglect and down right ugly, that little one almost died. I can't even understand how people could be so careless and in my opinion cruel
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6-27-2007 @ 6:53PM
M4Mommy said...I have never been able to understand those parents that leave their kids in the car(or a stroller at Disney) and then claim they "forgot the child"
How in hell can you forget a child? My daughter wont let herself be forgotten. Even as an infant, there was NO WAY she was going to be left ANYWHERE never mind a car or stroller.
And then you always get the "It could happen to you" crowd. Uhm No. My daughter is precious to me. I waited a long time to have her. I have given up A LOT to have her.
Maybe those kids that are "forgotten" are really quiet? Very sound nappers and sleepers? Or maybe the parents really have "better" and "more important" things on their minds. You know, like having fun on a ride at Disney.
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6-27-2007 @ 7:42PM
Sandyone said...I dunno...my kids look pretty sweaty and lifeless when they're taking a nap in a stroller. Sweaty is not an indication of heatstroke...it's when they stop sweating that you should really worry.
Yeah, these people are idiots. I don't believe that they forgot her as much as they figured she'd be fine napping while they caught the ride. That's neglect.
Kids do get forgotten, though. It's easier to forget them when there are extra adults (though it doesn't seem that's the case this time) because everyone figures that someone else has the kid. I am more harried when I'm not the sole adult. I like all of the responsibility or none of it.
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6-27-2007 @ 9:24PM
SKL said...I don't know, my parents had six kids and never managed to forget any of us, ever. Even when we tried to hang back for a while. Even when we went to Cedar Point and brought along four neighbor kids. Even when we went camping with other families. How hard is it to inventory your nuclear family from time to time?
And, you don't get in line for an adult ride with a three-year-old in the first place, so it's BS that they both got in line and thought the kid was in line with one of them. Sounds to me like dishonesty, selfishness, and foolishness.
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6-28-2007 @ 8:21AM
Michelle said...I must be a bad parent. I took both my children on Pirates when they were toddlers. The ride itself is fairly tame, I was pregnant with my son when I took my toddler daughter. In fact, anything I felt comfortable enough getting on at 5 mos pregnant, she went on. Yes, some of the scenes may be a little scary for some children. We bypassed that by pointing out the puppy dog and the dancing ladies. They were too young to understand the guns and the drinking, we just pointed out the merry-making. No screaming or nightmares ensued.
Having taken 2 small children to Disney. What kind of dumbass person can forget a child, especially one in a stroller? You have to park the stroller in a special parking area, get your bag, you camera and anything else valuable, I don't know, like your child? and take it with you to stand in line for the attraction. Even the first time we went when my daughter was 20 mos, I was pregnant, and we had my BIL,SIL, their 2 children and 2 Grandmas. More people is certainly not an excuse for neglect. The second time, I had a 23 mos old, a 4 year old, a double stroller, and a SIL who hasn't had babies in 20 years. Also, it was nighttime. I still didn't get overwhelmed and forget my kids. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
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6-28-2007 @ 1:42PM
Messed Up Mama said...Usually children get forgotten when each parent thinks the other has the child, and they are going in different directions. For example: Mom thinks Dad has the toddler, and gets in line for the Pirates ride. Meanwhile Dad thinks Mom has her and gets in line for some other ride. No one would notice until they met up again.
In this case, however, is seems like they decided to leave her there while they both went on the ride. They are lucky that she is going to be all right. So many things could have happened, I can't even imagine how they could think this was okay.
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6-28-2007 @ 1:42PM
Messed Up Mama said...Usually children get forgotten when each parent thinks the other has the child, and they are going in different directions. For example: Mom thinks Dad has the toddler, and gets in line for the Pirates ride. Meanwhile Dad thinks Mom has her and gets in line for some other ride. No one would notice until they met up again.
In this case, however, is seems like they decided to leave her there while they both went on the ride. They are lucky that she is going to be all right. So many things could have happened, I can't even imagine how they could think this was okay.
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6-28-2007 @ 2:54PM
M4Mommy said...Again, with MY daughter. I can not fathom her letting herself be forgotten. And there is no way either I or my husband would or could ever forget her. Maybe it is because I went through so much to have her? Maybe it is because she is our only? Maybe its because we love her and adore her and cant imagine NOT having her with us.
Dont know. I feel bad for that little kid though.
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6-28-2007 @ 9:58PM
Messed Up Mama said...I'd never forget my child either. Mainly because I'm kind of paranoid and try to keep him with me at all times. I make sure his Dad has him in hand before I walk away, I make sure several times that he knows I'm leaving and he is supposed to watch our son and I look back several times. He's four now, fairly active, well behaved, and his Dad is good at keeping track of him, but I still worry.
I never forgot either of the older ones either, even though I was younger and much less paranoid about those things. I'm not sure I would have survived for them to grow up if I had been!
I think that it's usually a miscommunication that leads to a child being forgotten/left somewhere. Neither parent makes SURE that the other has the child and just assumes the other one has her.
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6-29-2007 @ 3:11AM
alsoaparent said...when i was young we once forgot my cousin. there were 8 of us in a 5 passenger car (this was before seatbelts were required) and we had gone for a drive and hike. we came all the way back into the city (about a 40 minute drive) before my aunt realised that we were minus one child. my cousin had run off somewhere while we were all piling into the car. we drove back in a hurry and found my cousin sitting on a bench, arms folded, understandably extremely angry but thankfully, she was safe - but it was a more innocent world back then, i suppose. but leaving your child in a stroller while you go off to a ride is inexcusable - those lines are usually quite long so it wold seem that they managed to forget their child for quite some time. thank goodness the little girl is all right.
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6-29-2007 @ 11:29AM
Brandy said...It really breaks my heart to read stories like this. I have a four-year old who won't let himself be forgotten, not that I would. In my case, I get alarmed when I get a moment of peace and quiet because that means he's either not near me or he's near me, but doing something he shouldn't be doing. I also have a sister who I love like a best friend who has one child. She's been trying for kids since her daughter turned one (the daughter is now 14). So I read stories like this and wonder why do people like that get to have all these kids and really good parents who WANT LOTS of kids can't have them? It's just really sad and unfair.
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6-29-2007 @ 12:38PM
Ginny said...This kind of story makes me so angry. I am not buying the "I thought my spouse had her" arguement. I think she was asleep (Or possibly already suffering from heatstroke...thus not easily awaken) and they decided, "Screw it...we paid a thousand bucks for these 6 tickets and we are going to get our money's worth...let her sleep". I just cannot understand how a human being would let a small child suffer like that much less their own daughter. Grrrrrrrrrrr I need to go find a punching bag now....
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7-02-2007 @ 3:04PM
leian said...Oh my goodness - I just remembered that I have a 3-year old! I wonder where she is!!!
These people could only be total idiots. It begs the question of why we need licenses to drive and get married and need legal approval to drink, but when it comes to reproducing, any jackass that has the biological ability can go right ahead. How do you FORGET? And no, I don't buy the "I thought YOU had her" story either, not for an HOUR. That happened once with me and hubby in the supermarket when he and I were in different aisles and he let our daughter come to me by herself, not realizing I had moved from where I was - and I was furious that he did that. She was only missing for 15 seconds but that's often all it takes for a lunatic to pounce. But these fools went on a RIDE? The same ride together - so how could they not notice that NEITHER ONE had her?
Infuriating.
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