By Flint Adam
NewsChannel 3
Last night one year old Andrew Marquez of San Bernardino died in his driveway when he was hit by a slow moving truck. Unfortunate deaths like this involving children and cars are what Purple Ribbon Month is all about. Now, Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle has brought his department on board with the cause.
Purple Ribbon Month runs through all of August and this year, it is emphasizing awareness of Kaitlyn's Law. This law came about following the death of six-month old Kaitlyn Russell in 2001. She was left alone in a car just like this on a hot summer day. She died from heat exposure.
Tibursia Delgado demonstrates how she straps her kids in when they go for a ride.
Wherever the road takes them she says there's one thing she won't do leave these kids in a car alone.
"No you cannot afford it, not even for a second, you really can't. It's so hot out here."
In 2001 six month old Kaitlyn Russell died when her babysitter left her alone in a car on a 100-degree day. Kaitlyn was dead within fifteen minutes.
Delgado says she knows Kaitlyn's story and she knows about Purple Ribbon Month. It began the first year after Kaitlyn's death, the ribbon serves as a visual reminder of her life.
"I'm backing it up completely I don't believe that children should be left in the car at any time."
And neither does the law. In 2001, Kaitlyn's Law went into effect making it illegal for a child younger than six to be left in a car without the supervision of someone twelve years old or older. This month, you'll see Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies donning purple ribbons and hunting for anyone breaking the law.
"It's an infraction for the first offense to leave a child in a car, unattended. In the second offense, this is a misdemeanor." Said Deputy Juan Zamora.
A second offense could send someone to jail for a year and cost a $1,000 fine.
Delgado says it's a law no loving parent should worry about breaking because a child's safety should always come first.
"That's the priority. The groceries everything else can be lost, but your kids cannot be lost. They cannot be replaced."
And little Kaitlyn Russell won't be replaced but the sheriff's department says her memory will live on in little purple ribbons.
