Archives

August is Purple Riboon Month to raise awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in motor vehicles. Here, California Highway Patrol officer Ron Thatcher attaches a purple ribbon to a tree outside the Temecula office of the CHP. Steve Thornton Order a copy of this photo.

'); // -->

By:JOHN HALL - Staff Writer

TEMECULA ---- No matter how often reports of a child dying after being left unattended in a car make the news, people continue to make the potentially deadly mistake.

That quick trip into the store or the house while the child stays behind in the car is not only dangerous, but is also against the law. An organized effort to educate people to the danger of leaving children in cars kicks off today, the first day of Purple Ribbon Month.

"We are taking an aggressive stance on the law and raising awareness about this senseless loss of life," California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Thatcher said Thursday.

It only takes minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to the point it could kill a child. Even those people who leave the car running, thinking that's safe, are putting their children at risk, Thatcher said.

Cars are stolen with children still inside, or the child can accidentally put the car into gear which would also be a danger to the youngster inside, he said.

"It's just heart-wrenching when you hear about these things happening to children," Capt, Jeanne Jungers, commander of the CHP's Temecula office said.

CHP patrol cars, as well as those with other local law enforcement offices, will be wearing purple ribbons on their antennas and bumper stickers alerting drivers to the problem.

While Purple Ribbon Month is primarily occurring in Southern California this year, Jungers said she expects it to be a statewide effort in all CHP offices next August.

Unbeknownst to many, a law went into effect Jan. 1, 2002, allowing police to ticket anyone who leaves a child under the age of six without the supervision of someone at least 12 years old.

"You can't leave a child alone in a car ---- at all," Thatcher said. "If you pull into a parking stall and get out just to get a newspaper, you can receive a ticket."

The fine is $100, plus a variety of court fees that bring it to about $340, Thatcher said.

Of course, if the child is critically injured or dies from being left unattended, that can lead to much more severe charges and consequences.

In tests conducted several years ago and published in the Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society, interior temperatures of two cars were evaluated in New Orleans on one afternoon.

The outside temperature was 93 degrees and the humidity was 53 percent, according to the report. One car had the windows closed and the second vehicle, a mini-van, had the windows cracked about an inch and a half.

Within 20 minutes, the temperature inside both vehicles exceeded 125 degrees and reached the maximum stable temperature ---- 140 degrees in one and 138 degrees in the other ---- in only 40 minutes, the report states. That is a rise in temperature of more than 45 degrees in less than one hour, according to the report.

The law that allows officers to cite those who leave children unattended, called "Kaitlyn's Law", was the result of the August 15, 2000, death of 6-month-old Kaitlyn Marie Russell, who was left unattended for about two hours in the Lake Mathews area while her baby-sitter visited with friends. Kaitlyn, like dozens of children since her, died of hyperthermia, or heat stroke.

The baby-sitter, Sue Ann Calderon, received a sentence of 90 days in jail, three year's formal probation, and was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service to be completed by Dec. 1 this year.

Kaitlyn's mother and grandmother, Tammy Russell and Laura Peterson, never wanted another person to go through what they had so they started an organization called "4 R Kids Sake," which prompted Purple Ribbon Month.

The organization's awareness campaigns include slogans like "Would you put your child in an oven? Then don't leave them in a car" and "You wouldn't leave your groceries in the car ... why would you leave me?" with a picture of a happy Kaitlyn next to it.

According to statistics on the organization's Web site (www.4rkidssake.org), 25 children across the country ---- an average of more than three children per month ---- have died of heat stroke after being left unattended in a vehicle. Last year, according to the Web site, 30 children died of hyperthermia after being left unattended.

Tammy Russell tells the story of Kaitlyn on the Web site. In it, she describes how she dropped Kaitlyn off at the baby-sitter's that fateful morning, giving her daughter a kiss, saying she loved her and would see her tonight.

Later that day, she received a call at work from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department telling her of an emergency involving Kaitlyn, she said.

At the hospital she heard the pediatrician say the words that Russell says haunt her daily: "I'm sorry." Kaitlyn's body temperature had been 107 degrees when she was brought to the hospital, Russell says.

Now, Purple Ribbon Month sets out to continue Russell's quest to alert people to the dangers of leaving a child unattended.

The CHP's Temecula area office will be the Southwest County location for anyone wishing to pick up purple ribbons for car antennas, ribbons for trees or mailboxes, lapel ribbons, bumper stickers for their cars or window placards for businesses.

The office is located at 27685 Commerce Center Dr. in Temecula. The phone number is (909) 506-2000.

Contact staff writer John Hall at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.