A toddler in Florida died after being left inside her family’s car in the heat all day, police said.
Police responded to a Tampa home on Monday at around 6:24 p.m. and found an 18-month old girl unconscious and not breathing.
Police said the investigation shows that she was accidentally left in the family car outside her home that morning.
Her father used the car to take members of the family to work and school and then came home and changed cars before leaving for work himself, Tampa Police Department Public Information Officer Stephen Hegarty told reporters Monday.
Her parents called 911 after discovering her in their Jeep that evening, police said.
CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said the high temperature in Tampa Monday was 88 degrees, but it felt like 99 with humidity.
The girl later died at an area hospital after being transported with life-threatening injuries, police said.
The case remains an open investigation, police said.
Children in Hot Cars
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), 48 children have died in hot car deaths this year. On average, 38 children under age 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle, the council said.
Those deaths include instances in which a child has been forgotten in a car, when they accidentally lock themselves in a car or trunk and, in a small number of cases, when a child has been intentionally left in a car.
The NSC said that caregivers can be aware of the deaths and take action.
“Parents and caregivers can act immediately to end these deaths. Even on relatively mild days, temperatures inside vehicles still can reach life-threatening levels in minutes, and cracking the window doesn’t help,” the council stated on its website.
“The National Safety Council advises parents and caregivers to stick to a routine and avoid distractions to reduce the risk of forgetting a child. Keep car doors locked so children cannot gain access, and teach them that cars are not play areas. Place a purse, briefcase or even a left shoe in the back seat to force you to take one last glance.”
Jan Null, a San Jose State professor and former meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told SFGate that the temperatures inside vehicles heat up rapidly, with the air rising about 19 degrees over whatever the outside temperature is in the first 10 minutes and rising another 10 degrees in the next 10 minutes.
What’s more, Null said the bodies of small children heat up three to five times faster compared to adults. “So, while you and I could be in a car that’s, say, 109 degrees, an infant or small child would be to the point of entering heat stroke,” he said.
Fifty-two children died from heatstroke in 2018, according to the Kids and Cars website. From 1990 to 2018, 889 children died from heatstroke.
NTD staff contributed to this report.
