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A father has been charged with manslaughter after his 21-month-old child was found dead in an unattended vehicle in Herndon.
Police say the father, 49-year-old Miles H. Harrison, forgot to drop off his son at daycare Tuesday and then left the child in his SUV after he went to work. Harrison, an executive for Project Solutions, was notified around 5 p.m. after sources say a co-worker saw the child in a car seat in the vehicle. Police say Harrison ran to the SUV and collapsed.
Herndon Police Officers and members of the Fairfax County (web|news) Fire and Rescue responded to the call around 5:00 p.m. and found the toddler, Chase Harrison, alone in the vehicle. They discovered the boy had been in the vehicle for an extended period of time when temperatures had soared to the mid-90s. Despite the life-saving efforts by fire fighters, the baby was dead at the scene.
"Today a warrant was obtained charging Miles H. Harrison of Purcellville, Virginia with manslaughter in the death of his son," said one law enforcement official.
The Harrisons, who live in a Purcellville subdivision in Loudoun County (web|news), had worked tirelessly to adopt their son from Russia, according to one neighbor. People said the new parents seemed to be extremely happy ever since their only child came home just a few months ago.
An autopsy for 21-month-old Chase Harrison has been scheduled this week. The father, Miles Harrison, was taken to the hospital for treatment after collapsing when he found out his son had died.
This was an accident..not some issue with laziness. We need to remember that this can happen to anyone. Instead of judging or acting like this could never happen to you, please take the time to enact a solution. I use a velcro strap that I attach to the driver's side door handle and the carseat when my son (14 months) is in the carseat. It is easily pulled off and serves as a reminder to me so that I cannot exit the vehicle without seeing it. You can use a leash, a belt, bungee cords...really anything. Make sure it is loose so in an emergency it doesn't restrict you from getting out of the car. Also, MOMS please use this yourself and then force Dads to do it because you do. The reality is this happens more with Dads because they are not used to having the kids as much and they often drive with empy carseats.
We need to get carseat manufactures to include this safety tether, it is cheap, easy and it will save lives. Please spread the word and do this because everyone says they woud never forget...and then...!
Thanks
M
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