All too often, we read stories about children who were left alone in hot vehicles. It's easy to ask, who would do such a thing? But as HuffPost Parents Senior Lifestyle Columnist Lisa Belkin recently noted, the reality is that we're all at risk of making this tragic mistake.
On HuffPost Live Wednesday, parents Justin and Jessica Marson shared their story of how a misunderstanding led to their 9-month-old daughter Sara being left alone in the family minivan for nearly three hours.
"We each thought the other was going to bring her inside from the van because she was taking a nap, and put her in the crib to finish her nap, but neither one of us had done that," Justin Marson said. "Three hours passed before we realized that she was still in the van. We ran out and she was clinging to life."
The couple called 911 and Sara was air-flighted to the hospital, where she was given just three days to live. She ultimately survived the tragedy, but not without suffering from brain damage that has slowed her development.
Jessica Marson was charged with felony child abuse and faced nine years in prison, but the charges were later dropped. Her husband, Justin, said they understand that the authorities want to prevent future incidents like the one they faced, but that they don't believe the laws applied in their situation and that they're grateful Jessica was cleared and allowed to stay at home with their daughter.