Autistic teenager dies after carers leave him in hot minibus
The 19-year-old suffered heatstroke
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An autistic teenager has died after carers left him in a minibus outside a disability centre in Japan for six hours as temperatures soared above 33C.
The 19-year-old was found slumped in his seat by carers at Cosmos Earth, a centre for disabled children and young people in the city of Ageo.
It is thought he had been forgotten by staff at the facility, who only noticed he was missing hours later.
The teen, who is believed to have died of heatstroke, was rushed to hospital but later died.
Staff noticed he was missing shortly before the centre closed for the day and found him unconscious.
His body temperature was 41.4C by the time he was found, paramedics told Kyodo, a Japanese news agency.
Police have launched an investigation into his death and it is thought they could file criminal negligence charges against Cosmos Earth.
Kenji Otsuka, the manager of the centre, said: “I apologise to him and to his family from the bottom of my heart.”
The teenager’s death came in the week it emerged a New Zealand man died at a Japanese hospital after psychiatric ward staff allegedly strapped his legs and waist to a bed for 10 days.
Kelly Savage, 27, suffered a heart attack on 10 May, two weeks after he was admitted over a manic episode. The English teacher, who had been living in Japan for two years, died on 17 May.
His family believe the heart attack was caused by deep vein thrombosis, which developed as he was forcibly restrained.
Japan’s mental health services have previously been criticised for institutionalising too many patients and breaching their human rights.
A 2013 study found Japanese people with mental health conditions faced greater stigmatisation than in many other areas of the world.
The majority of the public keep a greater social distance from people with mental illness, it said, while two-thirds of people with mental health disorders never seek treatment because of the stigma.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments