Purple Ribbon Month Brings Attention To Kaitlyn’s Law
Kaitlyn Russell was just 6 months old when she died in California after being left in an unattended car on August 15, 2000.
She was left alone for at least two hours, and that led the governor a year later to sign a bill, making it illegal to leave a young child alone in the car.
“It’s never safe,” said Gwen Pizarro, who has two young daughters.
“It’s wrong,” said Amanda Raczynski, the mother of a 14-month old boy.
“It’s never a good idea — under any circumstance,” said Pizarro.
Purple ribbons will don the antennas of California Highway Patrol cars for the entire month of August.
The national organization, “4 R Kids Sake” has designated all 31 days purple ribbon month.
“(It) doesn’t matter the temperature,” said Officer Joe Zagorski, with the CHP, “you cannot leave a child in that vehicle.”
According to Kaitlyn’s Law, anyone who leaves a child six years of age or younger without adult supervision is subject to a minimum $100 fine.
Kaitlyn was left alone for at least two hours, authorities said.
One year later, the governor signed a bill in her name with hopes that her story would never be repeated.
“(They can) pass out, dehydrate, overheat — even if he had a bottle water with him, it’s not safe,” said Lewis Albor, whose son is 5 years old.
In outside temperatures ranging between 72 and 96 degrees, inside the car, after 10 minutes, the temperature rises 19 degrees; 20 minutes — 29 degrees; 30 minutes — 34 degrees, and after one hour, 43 degrees.
“It’s way too hot,” said Raczynski. “I wouldn’t want to sit in the car alone with the windows barely cracked.”
From 1998 to the year 2010, more than 494 children died of hyperthermia as a result of being left unattended in a car, according to researchers at San Francisco State University.
“It’s easy to leave them in a small town too, because you think no one’s around,” said Pizarro. “You always have that fear in the back of your head as a parent. so, you just want to keep your eye on them.”
Authorities are encouraging anyone who sees a child left unattended in a vehicle to immediately call 911.
