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Amber Rollins, Director, Kids and Car Safety, [email protected], 913-205-6973

Harrowing Journey of Losing a Child in a Hot Car Tragedy Recounted in Mother’s Memoire: THE GIFT OF BEN

On a hot, New England summer day in 2014, tragedy befell Lindsey Rogers-Seitz and her family when her husband, Kyle Seitz, inadvertently left their 15-month-old son, Benjamin, in the back seat of his car all day where he passed away from the heat. The harrowing and tragic story made national news at the time, but for Lindsey and her family, it was the beginning of a long and unending nightmare.

 

Since 1990, over 1,050 children have died in hot cars. The overwhelming majority (55%) of these tragedies involve a loving, responsible parent, like Kyle Seitz, who lost awareness of their child in the back seat. Hot car tragedies are something that most families truly believe will never happen to them, until it does.

 

Nine years after the loss of their beautiful blue-eyed boy, with raw emotion and honesty, Lindsey chronicles the aftermath of her son’s death in her debut memoir, THE GIFT OF BEN: Loving through Imperfection (On-sale May 2, 2023; Wellness Writers Press). The candid memoir details Lindsey’s emotional and grueling journey navigating the legal system and battles with child protective services, through which she was profiled and discriminated against due to her history with mental illness.

THE GIFT OF BEN is a raw and authentic account about what happens when one family is faced with the impossible. In this moving and unforgettable memoir, Lindsey brings to life the painful realities of grief and loss but also brings us along on her journey out of the darkness and into the light of radical forgiveness.

 

Kids and Car Safety has worked with hundreds of courageous families that have lost a child in a hot car tragedy. The devastation these families experience is beyond measure. The organization helps families to channel their grief into positive change and to provide connection and support through other families who have lived through a similar loss.

 

When a family loses a child, the ripple effect of devastation is exponential. Parents lose careers, are prosecuted by public opinion, face criminal and child protective service investigations that dive into the depths of their personal, private lives and much more. Criminalizing accidents or unintentional acts further traumatizes already devastated families.

 

“Kids and Car Safety is proud to have the opportunity to work side-by-side with the Seitz family. Their courage and strength to be able to speak about their incredibly painful loss for the sake of others is phenomenal. Lindsey continues to amaze us in her journey with the many ways in which she has honored Ben. THE GIFT OF BEN, with raw emotion, tells the story of a woman who has survived the worst thing imaginable – losing a child - and yet despite her eternal pain, stands stronger today than ever.” said Janette Fennell, president and founder of Kids and Car Safety.

 

“I have been lucky enough to find support with Kids and Car Safety since the hours after our hot car tragedy. We have worked collaboratively with members of Congress for legislation to require car manufacturers to include technology that can detect the presence of a child unattended inside a vehicle. These tragedies will keep occurring until we equip cars with such devices and enhance community awareness of hot car risks. I am only one of many parents who have suffered through the trauma and grief of a hot car death,” said Lindsey Rogers-Seitz. She continued, “I hope this memoir can bring awareness to this public concern and shed light on the path beyond tragedy towards love, forgiveness and hope.”

 

Hot Car PSA Videos:

Child gets into hot car, becomes trapped

Child Unknowingly Left in a Hot Car

What To Do if You See a Child Alone in a Vehicle

 

Hot Car Resources:

Hot car dangers fact sheet

Differences between rear seat reminder alert only & occupant detection

Occupant detection technology demonstration video

 

Memes charts, graphics, child stories, and other hot car resources can be found at https://www.kidsandcars.org/how-kids-get-hurt/heat-stroke/


 

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Kids and Car Safety is a national nonprofit dedicated to saving the lives of young children and pets in and around vehicles.

About the Author:

Lindsey Rogers-Seitz is an attorney, speaker, author, and mental health advocate and consultant. Due to the emotional and highly politicized nature of hot car deaths, news of Benjamin’s death immediately received national and international attention. The family was featured in TIME magazine, and Lindsey appeared on the Today Show and CNN’s Legal View. She was also chosen as “One of the Most Fascinating People of 2014” by the News-Times for the courage she demonstrated in the face of the unimaginable. Her writing has been featured in the ABA Journal and USA Today. More at her website: https://lindseyrogersseitz.com