Authorities are investigating the death of an 11-month-old boy after he and his twin sister were left for several hours in a hot vehicle at a car dealership in Alabama, Friday, say police.
According to Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge, officials responded to a call from Sunny King Honda around 11:54 a.m. regarding two infants that had been left inside a vehicle.
The children’s father, who is an employee of the dealership, removed the twins from the backseat of the vehicle by the time officers arrived, said the chief. The 11-month-old infants were still in their car seats.
The children were transported to the Regional Medical Center emergency room, where the boy later died. His twin sister survived the ordeal and is reportedly doing well, Partridge said.
"All indications seem that this is a tragic accident," Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown said. "No one can fathom the way this family feels, and I especially want to make sure that people are sympathetic to this family and that they get all the facts before they pass judgment."
Chief Partridge said, “Keep the first responders and the families in your prayer and we are certainly continuing the investigation to find out what lead up to this occurrence."
The infants have not been identified by police.
Child Hot Car Death Statistics
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), an average of 38 children under the age of 15 die in hot cars every year.In 2018, a record number of 53 children died. The recorded number so far in 2019 is 42.
The number of total hot car deaths since 1998 is 839.