It was a stifling 37 C in Houston, Texas, when three kids and four adults piled into a green SUV and set out for the grocery store.
Two-year-old Khoa Nyugen — a button-nosed, pudgy-cheeked toddler — was the youngest of the group. Khoa, his parents and his 7-year-old brother, who is autistic, were visiting relatives in Harris County. The mothers had gone out shopping on Thursday. The children stayed behind with the fathers.
When the group returned that afternoon, they busied themselves with lugging in and unpacking groceries. Khoa’s father Phat Nyugen was busy taking care of his autistic son, who follows a strict daily routine, and was distracted by the buzz of activity from all the visiting family.
The moment of panic came two hours later. Where is Khoa? Nyugen bolted to the SUV and found his tiny son unconscious on the floor in the back seat. He pulled the toddler out and tried to revive him. The family called 911. But by that time it was too late. Khoa was pronounced dead 90 minutes later at Houston Northwest Medical Center.
Harris County police Sgt. Ben Beall, who relayed the above account, said the temperature inside the vehicle could have been as high as 60 C when Khoa was pulled out. The boy had been stuck in the car for at least two hours. Nguyen answered the phone Friday at the Houston home where the family is staying, but didn’t want to speak about his son’s death.
“We are in a bad tragedy,” he said quietly before hanging up the phone. How could a parent forget their child in a car? For many people, that’s the first question that comes to mind when a tragedy like this occurs. “People truly do not understand that this happens to the best parents,” said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Cars, a U.S. organization that promotes child vehicular safety.
Statistics collected by the group show that only 8 per cent of cases where children are forgotten in cars involve parents who had previous abuse charges. “If you have the capability of forgetting your cellphone, you could forget your child,” Fennell said. “It simply has to do with how our memories work — or in this case how they let us down.”
“Every parent has a story when something could have gone the other way. They need to think about that when they hear these stories.” Initial reports were that the family forgot about Khoa because his brother had a seizure as they returned home. Beall said that was not the case. He said the father could face charges. Once the medical examiner’s report is released, the case will be brought before a grand jury in Houston, which will decide how to proceed.
“Whether or not there’s any criminal charges filed, he’s still gotta live with the fact that his kid is dead and he’s responsible,” Beall said. Nearly 40 children have died from vehicular heat stroke in the U.S. this year, according to Kids and Cars. Fennell stressed that it is extremely dangerous to leave a child in a car, even for a minute. She said children’s body temperatures peak three to five times faster than adults do. Kids also have very immature respiratory systems and little capacity to sweat.
Finally, Fennell said, small children are helpless when closed doors or car seats are involved. “All we can hope is that this little 2-year-old fell asleep.”
Kids and cars safety tips
- Never leave children alone in or around cars; not even for a minute.
- Put something you’ll need like your cellphone, handbag, employee ID or brief case, etc., on the floor board in the back seat.
- Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle every time you reach your destination.
- Keep a large stuffed animal in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the stuffed animal in the front passenger seat.
- Make sure all child passengers have left the vehicle after it is parked.
- When a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks immediately.
- Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes and periods of crisis or holidays.
Kids and Cars safety organization
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