Children die in hot cars in three states, prompting grief and warnings

Children die in hot cars in three states after kids ages 4, 1, 11 months trapped or left by parents - The Washington Post

Three young children — ages 4, 1 and 11 months — have died in recent days after they were left or trapped in hot cars for hours in Washington state, Texas and Florida, according to authorities.

In Puyallup, Wash., police are investigating a hot-car death of a 1-year-old who was left in a car for more than nine hours May 24. Authorities say the child’s foster mother got distracted and accidentally left the child in the car as she went to work at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital for its social service program.

When she returned to her car and realized what had happened, the woman rushed the toddler to the hospital, where the 1-year-old was pronounced dead. While the outside temperature that day in Puyallup, 10 miles outside of Tacoma, was in the 70s, the car’s internal temperature hit close to 110 degrees, police say.

No charges or arrests had been made as of Wednesday morning, and the foster mother and family are cooperating with investigators, according to authorities.

“This is a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family and everyone who was affected by this,” Puyallup Police Capt. Don Bourbon said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “And just want the public to know that during this time of year when it starts getting warmer, just be mindful of temperatures that are growing and safety of our families.”

Studies have shown that cars trap the sun’s heat and turn 70-degree days outdoors into 100-degree temperatures in a car. A child’s body temperature can also increase three to five times faster than an adult’s, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA).

Two days after the incident in Washington state, a 4-year-old boy died in Houston after he was found in an unlocked parked car with a 2-year-old girl Friday. The children had been playing outside the home when they found their way into a “disabled vehicle,” according to the Houston Police Department.

“We don’t know how long they were in there, but family members began looking and found them in the car,” Houston Police Cmdr. Jonathon Halliday said at a news conference.

The children were rushed to a hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead, police said. The girl is expected to recover, according to authorities.

Tameisha Lewis, a neighbor who lives near where the incident happened in the Independence Heights neighborhood, told KRIV, a Fox affiliate in Houston, that she was devastated by a death that could have been prevented.

“My feelings are hurt because come on now. It’s like a nightmare. A parent’s nightmare,” she said. “Us as parents have to do better watching our kids at the end of the day. It’s a mistake, turned into a tragedy. My prayers are with the family.”

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

On Sunday, an 11-month-old girl in Palm Bay, Fla., died after she was left in a car for three hours while her parents went to church at Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church, according to authorities. Police responded at around 1 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive infant in a vehicle in Palm Bay, about 75 miles outside Orlando.

“When they arrived, they learned the infant had been left in a car for approximately three hours while the parents went to church service,” the Palm Bay Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

The baby girl was transported to a hospital and was later pronounced dead, according to police. The temperatures were in the high 70s and low 80s on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

“This is an unfortunate incident, and our condolences and prayers go out to the family,” Palm Bay Police Chief Mario Augello said in a statement, according to WESH, an NBC affiliate in the Orlando area.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

The 11-month-old’s death is the third hot-car death in Florida this year, according to data from NoHeatStroke.org. Half of the hot-car deaths among children have been in Florida so far this year. A 2-year-old boy died in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in March, and a 2-year-old girl died in Prosperity, Fla., earlier this month.

In 2022, 33 children died of heat stroke in vehicles, according to NHTSA. More than 940 children have died of heatstroke in the past 25 years because they were either trapped or left in a hot vehicle, the agency says.

“It’s important for everyone to understand that children are more vulnerable to heatstroke and that all hot-car deaths are preventable,” NHTSA said.