[n.devdath]

One more case of innocent children dying inside a car. This time though, the car was probably a brand new vehicle at Global Gallerie's yard.

R.I.P.

Here is the link:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/19731651.cms

In a nightmarish tragedy, three Class I children, including a brother-sister duo, aged between five and seven, suffocated to death inside an unlocked car in the Kalher area of the powerloom town of Bhiwandi.

[9thsphinx]

Heart and soul to those poor kids. Incidents like these don't happen very often and should not, ever. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just wondering if they had sounded the horn continuously maybe someone would have heard it and came over and rescued them. Sigh.

[vinair]

A very shocking and saddening incident indeed. Read this in the papers and was very sorry for the helpless little ones. May their soul rest in peace.

This incident also opens doors to what kind of basic techniques should all schools and at home children should be taught.

I feel basic survival techniques should be made mandatory in schools along with identifying strangers and raising alarm when in danger. Urge all parents on this forum to train kids on any of the basic survival techniques which may come handy during demanding situations.

[Recompose]

The victim's family demanded action against the godown's owner saying if the compound wall had been properly constructed and if the car had been locked, the tragedy would have been averted.

Weren't they trespassing into private property? What happened is a real shame and I'm sorry for the family's loss, but this blame game doesn't help, does it? If anything, it reflects on bad parenting.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Recompose

Weren't they trespassing into private property?

The issue is three fold. The yard owner is equally responsible since the entry to his yard was not secured and he had left a potential hazard in the form of an unlocked vehicle in the yard resulting in the death of these children.

The children, for trespassing into a private property without permission.

Parents, for not teaching their children not to enter somebody's premises without permission and lack of basic rescue techniques in case of a situation like the one that happened.

My takeaway from this is the fact that parents must teach their children on how do deal with such a situation if it happens to them or their friends.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

The yard owner is equally responsible since the entry to his yard was not secured and he had left a potential hazard in the form of an unlocked vehicle in the yard resulting in the death of these children.

Does that mean we would be liable for such an incident if we forget to lock our car on the roadside and something similar happens?

Had the children ran to the main road and got hit by traffic, would a case be registered against the state government since they own the roads and allowed easy access for the children to the roads?

If the yard owner is responsible for leaving a potential hazard in the form of an unlocked vehicle, a much more serious lapse should be called out on the part of both the families for letting these kids go and play without any supervision of elders. It doesn't look fair that they blame the security guards in the yard for not monitoring their children when both the mothers were sitting at home and not watching over the activities of their children.

Curious to know how the case turns out.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Recompose

Weren't they trespassing into private property? What happened is a real shame and I'm sorry for the family's loss, but this blame game doesn't help, does it? If anything, it reflects on bad parenting.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

The issue is three fold. The yard owner is equally responsible since the entry to his yard was not secured and he had left a potential hazard in the form of an unlocked vehicle in the yard resulting in the death of these children.

Instead of a yard - what if it was another home? Someone forgets to lock the gate and the car - would these parents and media have the same reaction?

Incident is tragic, but I would also suggest that the main cause is bad parenting - and the parents are as equally responsible here as anyone else.

[ACM]

Sad incident.

Somehow it to me does not seem to expect all cars to be locked within a yard. Nor to expect that all yards would proper have intruder proof fencing. At most they will ensure that cars can not be stolen / driven away. The 25 ft Gap may have been left due to work in progress. Yes there is a case to be made but really speaking I think the GG owner will walk free. It is more an ethical case rather than a legal one at best.

The Horn would not work if the key is not present.

It is really sad and the thought of what the childern would have endured is very scary. RIP

[apachelongbow]

Its completely the parents fault period. Its stupid to blame all and sundry for what essentially is their lack of parenting and supervision skills. If they allowed their kids to run free and wild, this kind of thing is bound to happen sooner than later.
Poor yard owner is now facing the village panchayat style justice and I believe has been jailed for no fault of his.
A vehicle yard is not supposed to be a secure or hazardous area, that he needs to fence it, and parked vehicles are not a hazard. Most of the public parking lots have cars parked with their keys in the hands of the attendant. What if a child locks himself into one of these cars? Will the police arrest the yard attendant or the car owner then?

[Recompose]

Originally Posted by Recompose

Weren't they trespassing into private property?

This probably sounds like I'm accusing the children. While it is unfortunate that this incident cost them their lives, children should've been taught to stay within their compound. But that is easier said than done. Kids being kids will always be inquisitive and curious, but that basic principle should've been taught.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

The issue is three fold. The yard owner is equally responsible since the entry to his yard was not secured and he had left a potential hazard in the form of an unlocked vehicle in the yard resulting in the death of these children.

This sounds like a case I'd heard of in the US where a burglar was trapped in the house he tried robbing. The owner has away on vacation and came back home to a lawsuit filed by the thief for having an unsafe house.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Parents, for not teaching their children not to enter somebody's premises without permission and lack of basic rescue techniques in case of a situation like the one that happened.

My takeaway from this is the fact that parents must teach their children on how do deal with such a situation if it happens to them or their friends.

The children should have been supervised by an adult. The newspapers have been filled with several incidents of assaults on children. Leaving children unattended is always dangerous. It is easy to point the fingers at the yard owner, but blaming others doesn't help them become responsible.


Or most probably the family is yet to come to terms with what happened. Denial and anger are one of the first feelings when people are faced with grief. Hence this blame game. Eventually they'll accept responsibility for what happened and that will not be easy. The death of a child is tragic - especially when unnatural. I'm beginning to get a little philosophical here and completely off topic, hope the children rest in peace.

[asr245]

Sad incident. Young lives lost due to negligence (more of parents than yard owner).
But I am not sure how they could have suffocated to death. Dehydrated to death - possible but suffocation?

[zenren]

Originally Posted by asr245

But I am not sure how they could have suffocated to death. Dehydrated to death - possible but suffocation?

A closed car without the AC running does not recirculate the air inside. So if there is someone inside, his breathing would slowly take up the entire oxygen inside the cabin and replace it with carbon dioxide.

[noopster]

It's a tragedy all right but like someone already said, a classic case of those poor kids being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The local Narpoli police have seized the car and registered a case against Sumit Malhotra, director of the car dealership, Global Gallery Agency Pvt Ltd, and Amit Sakpal, delivery checking executive in charge of managing the godown. Sakpal was arrested on Thursday.

The guy was arrested? For what? I can really understand that in their grief and despair the parents are lashing out at whoever they can find to pin the blame on, but surely the cops have more sense than that???

This is like one of those bizarre stories we read in email forwards where a burglar slips on a roof and suffers an injury, then sues the homeowner for not maintaining the roof!

[SS-Traveller]

13 hours of being locked in, in a car - esp. of Indian design & manufacture - is not likely to suffocate anyone to death. The cabin is never THAT leak-proof. And it seems very unlikely that a 6-7 year-old kid cannot open an unlocked car door.

Foul play perhaps?

[saket77]

Sad news again apart from other 2 threads about the Civic & Vento catching fire. RIP.

After going through all this, last evening I was discussing with my wife that why I will store a hammer in the car, though the doors of our car can be opened from inside anytime, but just not to take any chance. I gave her some tips to break the glasses like front & rear windshields.

Earlier, it was a big put-off for her...bluntly she told me that she doesn't want to talk about these things but I made her read the unfortunate civic thread. After reading, she said that we should keep a pair of scissors too. Glad that she understood the underlying problem. I think, we as responsible bhpians should educate at least our own family about encountering these kind of unfortunate situations. It can be handy, even if some others souls need help on the road. If any bhpian/ or a person educated by the word of mouth of a bhpian helps even one person survive from such a situation, it should be victory for us.

I hate the repeated usage of 'RIP' again & again.

Regards,
Saket