5-year-old girl with fever drowns after soaking inside bathtub to lower temperature
Most parents would rush their child to a clinic or hospital upon discovering that they were ill.
One mother in Taiwan, however, took a different approach and decided to place her five-year-old daughter in a bathtub to alleviate the girl’s fever.
Unfortunately, the girl drowned after being left unattended for a few minutes.
As a result, the mother was accused of negligence, but prosecutors recognised her deep remorse and granted her a deferred prosecution.
Mother places sick daughter in bathtub instead of taking her to hospital
According to ETtoday, the tragic incident occurred around 11am on 5 November last year.
Upon discovering her daughter’s fever, a single mother in New Taipei City opted to have the girl soak in a bathtub full of water to lower her temperature instead of seeking medical attention.
Source: ben-bryant from Getty Images on Canva, for illustration purposes only
After leaving the child briefly unattended, the mother returned and found her daughter face down in the tub and drowning.
Shocked, the mother rushed the girl to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Unfortunately, her daughter died on the evening of 24 November.
United Daily News reported that the causes of death were drowning, a respiratory tract infection, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (a type of brain damage), cerebral oedema (swelling of the brain), and pneumonia.
Police impose S$2,100 fine on mother
As part of the investigations, prosecutors conducted interviews with the mother’s boyfriend, neighbours, and the girl’s teacher.
From these interviews, they learnt that the mother had no history of violence and was very loving towards her children.
To dispel any suspicions, investigators also examined the deceased’s health insurance medical records and found no evidence of insurance fraud.
During the investigation, the mother broke down multiple times and appeared devasted by her mistake.
Considering that the girl was her closest relative and acknowledging her profound remorse, authorities granted her a deferred prosecution for a year.
Additionally, the mother had to pay a fine of NT$50,000 (S$2,100) to the public treasury.
Also read: 4-Year-Old Girl Drowns In M’sia Pool As Stepbrother Looks On, Police Arrest Him
4-Year-Old Girl Drowns In M’sia Pool As Stepbrother Looks On, Police Arrest Him
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