Bucks woman charged in hot car death | Philly

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Friday, August 7, 2009

Bucks woman charged in hot car death

The co-owner of a Bucks County daycare center was charged with involuntary manslaughter today for the July 1 hyperthermia death of a 2-year-old boy whom she had forgotten in her van outside the center for seven hours.

Rimma Shvartsman, 46, of Northampton Township, also was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and leaving an unattended child in a motor vehicle in the death of Daniel Slutsky. She was arraigned this morning and released on $50,000 unsecured bail. No preliminary hearing date has been set.

Shvartsman, a neighbor of the boy and his family, frequently drove the child to her business, the Fairy Tales Day Care Center in Penndel, Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said. After arriving at around 9:30 a.m., she inexplicably left the child buckled into a car seat in the rear of her tinted-window minivan.

The child was discovered at 4:30 p.m. when Shvartsman opened the back hatch of the vehicle. He was taken to St. Mary Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His core body temperature was still 108 degrees 45 minutes after being removed from the van, Henry said.

The boy was found on the floor of the van, indicating that he had gotten himself out of the car seat and had attempted to get out of the van, Henry said.

"We are not charging this woman with intentionally doing this," the district attorney said. "This is a crime of negligence. She had a duty of care to this boy and his parents."

Read more breaking news in our From The Source blog.

Posted by Inquirer Online Desk @ 11:57 AM Permalink | 30 comments

Comments

Posted 12:43 PM, 08/07/2009

LarRo

What a sad story all around. Hopefully car manufacturers come up with a notification (at least in vans, minivans, etc) system, much like the seatbelt warning.

Posted 12:51 PM, 08/07/2009

nickpa1

i can't believe the kid got out of the seat...it makes the horror that much greater.

Posted 12:52 PM, 08/07/2009

Keith C

It's about time someone was actually charged with a crime from one of these instances of gross negligence. In most past cases the DAs have decided that "living with what happened" was enough punishment. We don't need to add more cost to vehicles (as LarRo suggests) to avoid this. We need to appropriatly punish the people who leave innocent kids in hot cars to suffer and die.

Posted 12:53 PM, 08/07/2009

daddysgirl

maybe people need to remember that they have a child in the car and stop saying that they forgot how do you forget that you put a child in the car, do you forget your pocketbook, your lunch bag, your car keys, most people look to make sure the car is locked, windows are up so to forget a child is hogwash

Posted 01:26 PM, 08/07/2009

PurpleHaze70

Yeah, sometimes I forgot to put on clothes when I go driving.

Posted 01:30 PM, 08/07/2009

PurpleHaze70

This is downside of tinted glass in cars.

Posted 01:30 PM, 08/07/2009

PurpleHaze70

This is downside of tinted glass in cars.

Posted 01:54 PM, 08/07/2009

Miss Bunny

I wonder how often these kind of incidents happenned in the past when cars had things like black vinyl seats, no window tinting, no A/C, and big wrap-around windshields and Sky-Hi rear windows? At least cars had crank-down windows and "hot-wired" power windows so kids could at least open the windows for fresh air if left inside.

Posted 02:10 PM, 08/07/2009

BunchOfBull

you say make it so the windows can go down? simply put the heat makes us sleep better wshen its not extremely warm, howeverthe child could have been severely damaged already by the time he got out of the seat for all we know he merely opened the buckle and lapsed out of the seat when his body went limp, however the situation unfolded it was wrong, he wasnt the first kid she had taken to her daycare but i surely hope hes the last, how could you own a daycare and not remember kids? throw her in the van and let her sit, would that be just? tried and true, i bet it would limit these "oversights" and make people think, however i do think that cars should have some kinf of motion or heat detector set directly for human body temperature and the minute the doors are locked it picks that heat up and rolls down the windows, however scientists and engineers aren't babysitters as this lady was, and shouldn't have to brain storm over common sense if you remember to buckle up, you surely remember to buckle upon exiting, it is hogwash as previously stated, and that type of death should be instituted as was the gun line, lethal injections and lynching.

Posted 02:20 PM, 08/07/2009

GarytheGolfer

This is the 2nd story of a child being left in a car that I've read today. What is wrong with people? Be RESPONSIBLE! It's really not that difficult. Gary

Posted 02:20 PM, 08/07/2009

GarytheGolfer

This is the 2nd story of a child being left in a car that I've read today. What is wrong with people? Be RESPONSIBLE! It's really not that difficult. Gary

Posted 02:37 PM, 08/07/2009

gramgol

I personally feel terrible for this lady ... it's not like she did it on purpose. I'm not sure sending her to jail is going to serve any purpose either. It's not going to prevent it in the future. It's not like someone is going to be more motivated to check the back seat before they exit the car to avoid jail than to ensure the safety of a child. I'm sure this lady was charged b/c she wasn't the mother. The baby's parents probably pressed for it. I would like to see a public awareness campaign to "always check the back seat."

Posted 03:10 PM, 08/07/2009

SlinkTMP

The fact that this child got out of the car seat makes me so depressed. I feel so bad for these parents. I agree. A public awareness campaign is definitely in order, but people need to be responsible. This is sad all around. I am sure the lady did not mean to do this, but she should have been more responsible with this kid. Did I say how sad this story is? I am leaving work now to see my kids. It is a shame.

Posted 03:11 PM, 08/07/2009

philly girl

There is no punishment imposed by the judicial system that could possibly be worse than living day in and day out for the remainder of one's life with the consequences of this mistake. I suppose there, but for the grace of God, go I, although I really can't imagine my ever leaving a child or a pet in my car.