Four Ascent workers fired over child’s death

Four Ascent workers fired over child’s death

Family declines offer to pay for funeral

ralphhardin@gmail.com AWest Memphis family still struggling with the death of a 5-year-old boy left in a child care center van on a hot day Monday has declined an offer from the center to foot the bill for his funeral.

Christopher Gardner Jr.

was found dead Monday afternoon after apparently being left in an Ascent Children’s Health Services transport van all day, a day in which the outside temperature was above 90 degrees when emergency responders arrived to the scene that afternoon. The interior of the van would have been approximately 140 degrees according to expert data.

“Our clinic director and I have been in contact with Christopher’s mother to express our deepest sympathy,” said Ascent CEO Dan Sullivan. “I met with his mother, grandmother, and other family members today to personally share how sorry I am and offered our assistance in covering funeral expenses.”

Ascent officials also took action against four employees who allegedly failed to follow company policy and procedure for transporting and documenting all of the children in their care.

Four Ascent workers have been terminated over the incident. The van was reportedly not thoroughly inspected after arrival at Ascent’s West Memphis facility, and Christopher was listed as “checked in” on the registry inside, even though he was apparently still in the van for more than eight hours, eventually succumbing to the dangerously hot environment.

“The staff did not follow company policies and procedures,” Sullivan said in a statement. Had they followed protocol “this tragedy would not have occurred.”

“There are simply no words to express the overwhelming sadness we feel at the death of this child.

We are heartbroken and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Ascent will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and state agencies as they investigate this tragic incident,” he added.

Ascent operates community- based programs providing early developmental intervention day treatment services and mental health services to infants, children, adolescents and families in 10 locations around the state, including Arkadelphia, Batesville, Benton, Blytheville, Jonesboro, North Little Rock, Mountain Home, Paragould, and Trumann, as well as West Memphis. The West Memphis location has been closed since the Monday incident.

By Ralph Hardin