A two-year-old boy died in Merced County, California last week after his grandmother accidentally gave the toddler caustic cleaning solution stored in a water bottle to drink.
The young boy, Jack Shearer, had become thirsty while playing at the automobile shop that his grandparents owned on Friday afternoon. Upon finding a water bottle on the floor of the truck owned by her husband, the grandmother gave the little boy the liquid to drink. She believed the bottle held water.
Unfortunately, the water bottle contained a cleaning solution used to clean aluminum rims on vehicle wheels.
When the toddler started chocking, the grandfather immediately realized the error. The grandfather immediately called 911 but ended up driving the child to the Mercy Medical Center. The toddler was then transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Madera where he was pronounced death.
No charges are expected to be filed at this time. Authorities say that the incident in which the toddler died from accidentally drinking the cleaning solution from a water bottles was nothing more than a tragic accident.
Parents and other caregivers should take this tragic death as a warning. According to the National Institute of Health, poisoning is a frequent source of illness and death during the toddler years. Toddlers are very curious but lack the knowledge that certain substances are dangerous or deadly. All toxic chemicals including cleaning supplies and medications should be kept locked up from young children.
Cleaning supplies should also never be kept in unmarked containers.
The Parenting Patch extends our condolences to the family of young Jack Shearer.
References
Toddler development: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002010.htm
Toddler dies after grandma accidentally gives him water bottle full of cleaning solution: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/05/toddler-dies-after-grandma-accidentally-gives-his-water-bottle-full-cleaning/
Toddler dies after grandmother accidentally gives him water bottle full of cleaning solution to drink: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2273828/Merced-toddler-Jack-Shearer-dies-grandma-gives-water-bottle-cleaning-solution-drink.html
Image Credits
Water Bottles: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_droite_bouteille_d%27eau_liquide_et_%C3%A0_gauche_compl%C3%A8tement_congel%C3%A9.JPG
