Parents Talk: Death in a Hot Car - Accident or Neglect?

Last Saturday in suburban Indianapolis, there were two separate incidents of a parent leaving a child in a hot car. In one of those incidents, an infant girl lost her life.

In Greenfield, Ind., 18-year-old Joshua Stryzinski took his 4-month-old daughter to a friend's house while the baby's mother worked at a local fast food restaurant. Stryzinski told police he thought he'd left the child with the friend before heading to his parents home and then to pick up the child's mother. It was then when he realized the child was still in the car.

Chloe Stryzinski was rushed to the hospital where she died from her injuries. Police say the temperature in the vehicle reached 119 degrees Saturday, one of the hottest days on record in central Indiana.

Around the same time that day, a 30-year-old mother in Fishers, Ind., left her 16-month-old daughter in the car while she shopped. Police said Meg Trueblood was reportedly in the store for at least an hour before the child was discovered. She was taken to a local hospital where she was treated and released into the custody of her grandmother.

Two incidents, on the same day with two drastically different outcomes. Could they both have been accidental? According to KidsAndCars.org, 38 children die in hot cars every year from heat-related death. The website says even the best parents can overlook a child in their vehicle if they are somehow outside of their routine.

Parents, what do you think? Is it possible to forget a child in your care or is it neglect? Tell us in the comments.