Parents forget kid at rest stop, remember her 60 miles later

A vacationing family has some red cheeks–and is potentially in some very hot water–after the parents forgot their three-year old at a rest stop in France.

The family (whose names have been withheld, pending potential litigation) stopped at the Bras de Zil rest area near Valence, about 40 miles south of Lyon. They had a picnic, stretched out a bit, and then resumed their southbound drive to the beach.

The only problem is that the mother and father (and two siblings!) neglected to include their three-year old daughter in the group, and had driven 93 kilometers–just a touch over 60 miles–before figuring out their mistake.

And even then, they only realized what they’d done when they heard an emergency bulletin advertising a missing child on the radio.

Back at the rest stop, the three-year-old was rescued by another family, who asked her what she was doing alone. The child said that she had a mother and father, as well as a brother and sister, and knew that the family was headed for the beach. The child didn’t appear to be in distress, but the rescuers stayed with her just the same. After some time had passed, they called the police, who put out the emergency call.

Upon hearing the call, the family contacted the police, and turned around to head back to the rest stop. The family was reunited after two hours apart.

According to several reports, local authorities are considering filing criminal charges against the family.

(Photo credits: Parents forget kid one, two via Flickr)