SEBASTIAN, FL--Gannon Werking was the little brother his 5 year old sister desperately wanted... the son his parents couldn't wait to meet.
July 23rd, five months to the day after Gannon was born he was gone.
"We have a fatality of a baby...that has passed away. How did the baby pass away?" was the call to a 911 operator.
Vero Beach police say Stephanie Werking forgot to drop her son off at daycare before she went to work. He was strapped into his car seat....in the back of her SUV....all day.
"I opened my door...got in my seat and put my purse down, I caught Gannon in my mirror...I started screaming and pushed my co-worker out of the way and opened Gannon's door and saw...he was there. And I touched him and I knew," she said.
Within 20 minutes Stephanie's husband arrived....the police investigation was already underway.
"I couldn't understand how this could happen...why was this happening," she said.
Stephanie was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child...she's due in court next month.
Because of her legal case her lawyer wouldn't let her talk about what led up to Gannon's death....instead she focused on her life...after it.
"Do you re-live it all the time?" she's asked.
"Everyday I get into my car..when I'm at work..when I get in my car to go home. In the evenings are really hard...because I used to feed Gannon at midnight..so I go to bed sad...we try to live in a new world ....cause...our other world is gone now."
The emptiness, the pain, the grief. It's something Stephanie wants no other parent to endure.
"Even when you think you have everything under control and everything is normal.. accidents can happen," she said.
So far in 2009, 29 children have died after being left in hot cars. 8 of those tragedies occurred in Florida.
Janette Fennel of Kids and Cars says, "This is not happening from a lack of love. It's happening because our memories let us down. We are human. I really believe that there is technology available that can absolutely prevent this from happening."
Technology in cars already helps drivers in so many ways. If you leave your keys in the ignition your car beeps to remind you. If your headlights are left on...the car makes sure you're warned so your battery doesn't die. Kids and Cars wants technology in all cars that reminds drivers someone is still in the backseat.
Janette Fennell says, "It's interesting whether it's the auto industry as an industry or maybe we as a society saying it's important we don't have a dead battery but what about a dead baby?"
"Is it hard to have so many pictures of him around? Or is it comforting?" Stephanie is asked.
"It's both, it's comforting but a reminder of what happened and that I won't get to see him grow up and that he was here for a really short time," she says.
Here are some things you can easily do so your baby won’t be left behind:
- Place an item in the backseat that you will have to take with you when you leave the car, e.g. your cell phone, briefcase, purse, ID badge - even your shoes! This will act as a visual reminder that your child is in the back seat area as well.
- Use a day-care call system where your provider will call you if your child has not been dropped off.
- Keep a stuffed animal in the car and when your child is in the back seat, place the animal in the front, as another visual clue.
- Keep a sunshade in the backseat. When you arrive at your destination, open the back door to take out your sunshade and you’ll also make sure no one has been left behind.
For more information log onto www.kidsandcars.org and the http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp
To order the "Baby Safety Line" featured in a live demonstration on Newschannel 5 call: 954-937-6360 or email sales@kidzinnovations.com
