Franklin Township 2 yr old NJ girl dies in hot car after parents left toddler alone for 7 hours in temperatures which had gone up to 80 degrees that day. Beatriz Viera LeChard id as infant’s mother.
Beatriz Viera LeChard, a 38-year-old translator and mother-of-two has been identified as the mother of a two-year-old toddler girl who died in New Jersey after being left in a hot car parked in the family’s driveway for seven hours.
First responders were called to the home in Franklin Township, Somerset County on Tuesday, mid afternoon, circa 2.20pm, NJ.com reported.
The child was spotted by a neighbor in the family’s gray Honda Civic, parked in the driveway on Summerall Road, and the neighbor – a firefighter – called an ambulance.
The caller said a child had gone into cardiac arrest, and CPR was performed on the infant, only for the little girl to be pronounced dead at the scene. Police knocked on the door to inform them of the tragedy, with the parents devastated to learn what had happened.
It is thought the child had been left in her car seat since early Tuesday morning before she was eventually discovered. Outdoor temperatures had reached 90 degrees on the day of the tragedy, according to the National Weather Service.
‘They’re great parents…’
Witnesses said LeChard, who has not yet been publicly named, was heard screaming in pain upon realized her toddler daughter had died in the vehicle.
‘They were just screaming in pain and anguish. She collapsed to the ground and he went to console her,’ a neighbor told NBC New York.
The mother was taken away in an ambulance, the neighbor said.
‘They’re great parents. I’ve seen them be very loving and doting on their daughters.’
Treana Huntley, who lived opposite them, told The Franklin Reporter that the sound of the parents’ wailing was devastating.
‘It was gut-wrenching, almost made me want to break into tears,’ she said.
‘As a mother, just hearing that pain from another mother, it was very hurtful to hear.
Circumstances leading to child’s death to be investigated
‘I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.’
She said the death has struck the entire neighborhood.
‘This whole block was very emotional,’ she added.
‘How can that happen? How do you forget? I guess we’re all forgetful, I’ve forgotten things in the car. But how do you forget the toddler, you know? I don’t know,’ neighbor Alex Krstavski said. They were just screaming in pain and anguish.
‘She collapsed to the ground and he went to console her,’ another neighbor who wished not to be identified told NBC New York.
‘They’re great parents. I’ve seen them be very loving and doting on their daughters.’
Autopsy scheduled
Come Thursday, LeChard said nothing as she returned to the home accompanied by another, unidentified woman. A Puerto Rico native, LeChard works as a translator for Bloomberg.
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death.
The family has not been named. It remained unclear how the child came to be left all alone in the vehicle. Also unclear is if the parents now faced any charges.
The child is the 22nd to die this year in the U.S. from being left in a hot car, four of which happened in a week’s time in August, according to kidsandcars.com.
Following the passing of a 2-year-old child in New Jersey yesterday, we’ve now reached our 21st child hot car death of the year.
Don’t let this happen to your family. Leave a necessary item, like a house key, ID badge, or wallet, in the back seat with any young passengers. pic.twitter.com/Epo9mb8QQr
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 31, 2022
Preempting preventable child hot car deaths
Director Amber Rollins is working with families who’ve lost children to the tragic accidents to make technology that could preempt children’s deaths as a requirement in all new vehicles.
Kids and Car Safety, along with parents, sent a letter to Pete Buttigieg, secretary of Department of Transportation, urging him to move forward with the provision that passed in the infrastructure bill last year.
‘Every parent has made mistakes, no matter what it looks like. Sadly, some of the mistakes result in tragedy and none of us expect it,’ Elizabeth Crapo, whose 20-month-old daughter Marah died after being left in a car, told the organization. ‘And all of a sudden, you’re part of this club no one wants to be part of.’
‘I failed in my job as a protector. I failed my child,’ Marah’s father, Austin Crapo said.
‘I promise you nobody could make me feel worse.’
