Audio By Carbonatix
County prosecutors will be reviewing Wednesday’s case of a boy left in a hot van for more than an hour. It’s your time to beat them to the punch — would you charge staff members of a school for intellectually disabled kids?
Everyone’s so busy these days — it’s easy to lose track of kids. And they’re so small.
In this situation, a driver and aide affiliated with Quest Alliance of Phoenix picked up several people on Wednesday including a 6-year-old boy with Down Syndrome. They arrived back at Quest Alliance, 7602 West Indian School Road, just after 2 p.m., cops say. About an hour and 15 minutes later, the boy’s mom arrived for pick-up. The staff didn’t know where the kid was.
They found him a few minutes later still buckled into the seat of the van, which was in the parking lot with its windows rolled up. The outside temperature was about 100 degrees, a relatively cool day for August, but you know how it gets inside vehicles. Red-faced and lethargic, the boy was taken to a hospital and treated for dehydration. Authorities say he’ll be fine. His outraged mom is considering a civil lawsuit.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Turns out that Quest Alliance has been in trouble before. In 2007, a boy with autism walked away from another facility run by the company and drowned in a canal. The company’s license was revoked, then reinstated.
Police agree that Quest Alliance staff didn’t mean to leave the 6-year-old in the van.
Here’s your morning poll:
