4YO Daughter Reportedly Died After Being Left In The Car For 9 Hours Cuz Dad Was Busy With Phone

2019-04-16 , 8:00 am

I‘ve been taught that it is unsafe to stay in the car for long periods of time with the engine switched on.

Worse still, while the uncle at the petrol kiosk is pumping petrol. This is something that has stuck with me along with many other what-ifs which usually lead to life-threatening results.

Now, to understand why I’m a scaredy-cat who tends to play by the book (it’s slightly better now I promise), you have to understand my mother.

She’s the type to educate using the power of fear combined with her ultimate skill of nagging.

And yes, family Whatsapp chats are filled with long ass messages forwarded from her friends and siblings about everything and anything – true or false? Credible source?

Answer: Unknown.

Being the timid mouse I am, I developed the tendency to avoid charging my phone overnight after hearing news of Samsung phones exploding.

Heck, I get a little anxious when my phone starts to overheat; afraid that it explodes in my face.

And I won’t even leave a paper in a car, for it might just burn.

But this guy… he left a girl in a car.

Young girl left alone in the car, died after it overheated

First reported by Changsha Evening News, a young girl named QiQi, unfortunately, passed away on 8 April 2019 (last Monday) in Hunan, China.

And the incident happened reportedly due to her father’s negligence. She was locked in the car for nine hours on a day where temperatures were at an all-time high.

It was also mentioned that the father who was tasked to send his daughter to school was unaware that she was still in the car.

The Star Online reported that “the father lost track of what he was doing while using his mobile phone after reaching his destination.

After taking a call and reading messages, he drove away with the girl still seated behind him.”

He then parked the car at a shop and left after locking QiQi in unknowingly.

Discovery

According to Chinese news site Guancha, the four-year-old’s mother first learned of her disappearance at 5 pm when she wanted to pick her up from school.

She then panicked and immediately called her husband who searched high and low for their missing daughter.

Then, the couple found a lifeless QiQi below the back seat of the car who turned purple from top to bottom.

Who’s to be held responsible?

As news of QiQi’s passing spread, many took to the internet to express their grief.

Guancha brought up a few good questions:

Why did the father leave hurriedly without checking if his child had entered the kindergarten?
Why didn’t he check a second time before getting out of his car?
And why didn’t the Kindergarten notify the parents when QiQi didn’t attend classes?
Does the school not have an attendance system in place?

Father Reportedly Blame The School

According to The Star Online, QiQi’s father told Changsha Evening News that the kindergarten had a part to play in the tragedy.

The reason? Because they did not alert him and his wife of their child’s absence.

The kindergarten has since agreed to compensate the family with 32,000 yuan (S$6,437.60).

This isn’t the first time news sources are reporting about overheated cars which result in the death of young children and pets.

To experience how it feels to be stuck in a locked car, a few adults were put to the test for 10 minutes.

Clearly, they are uncomfortable after being stuck in the car for 10 minutes.

Imagine how QiQi must have felt, having been inside for 9 whole hours.

Tips to prevent such incidents from occurring

According to HealthyChildren, parents driving around with young children should consider the following recommendations:

Always check the back seat of your car before locking it
If you have issues remembering to check the back seat, leave your bag in the back seat of the car so you’ll automatically check it before getting down
If your child is cared for by someone else, make it a requirement for him/ her to call you should your child be late for more than 10 minutes

But the most important tip is this: don’t be a slave to your phone.