Four year old Houston girl dies hot car death after she’s forgotten by her caretakers amid searing temperatures while running errands. Was left behind for one hour. No charges to date.
A 4 year old girl in Texas has died after being left in a parked car amid searing hot temperatures after her caretakers ‘forget’ her for around an hour.
Deputies from the Houston Police Department responded to emergency calls made from an apartment complex near 6500 block of Hollister Street around 6.30 pm.
Officials said that the girl was with two women and a group of children running errands in a Chevy pickup truck the entire day.
Necessary precautions
The adults later parked their car in the apartment complex and took everyone inside but left behind the toddler FOX26 reported.
The infant’s hot car death comes amidst multiple reports of infants sweltering to death in overheated cars after being forgotten about by their parents or caretakers. Experts warn children can start to fall ill within minutes of being locked in a car.
Investigators believe the girl was left in the pickup truck for about an hour until one of the women realized the child was missing, came back outside to find her and called 911.
She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, KTRK-TV reported.
Homicide investigators also responded to the scene and reportedly spoke to witnesses.
Lieutenant Larry Crowson of the Houston police department warned that it is very important for parents to be aware of your child’s location along with taking precautions.
‘In this type of weather, it doesn’t take a few minutes to cause very serious illness or death for someone that’s left in a car,’ the official said.
‘Always take precautions, try to remember where your kids are, for example leaving house keys or phone in the backseat with the kids.’
About 40 children die of heatstroke in the United States every year after being left or becoming trapped in a hot car, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The majority of cases happen when a parent or caregiver forgets that the child is in the car.
At the time of the incident, the city of Houston was reportedly experiencing temperatures between 84F to 91F.
It remains unclear if any charges are now forthcoming.
