MIAMI GARDENS – A family is mourning after a child dies after being left in car in this extreme heat. Now officials are reminding parents how deadly a hot car can be.
“Never leave child in a car not even for a minute,” said Erika Benitez in a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue PSA, describing the danger of leaving a someone in a hot car.
“One minute of distraction can lead to a lifetime of grief,” added Benitez.
Monday, that grief became a reality of one family.
According to Miami Gardens PD, a 3-year-old child was left in a vehicle by his father, who did not realize his son was missing.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death was hyperthermia or the body overheating, and the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue PSA warns of similar incidents.
“Every year, an of average of 37 children die after being left in unattended vehicles. That’s one child every nine days, and sadly every single one of these heartbreaking deaths is preventable,” the PSA went on.
So, CBS4 decided to figure out exactly how hot it can get in the car and how quickly. Our thermostat showed it was 81 degrees in the backseat when we started. After 45 minutes in the car without the A/C, the temperature increased above 110 degrees.
Experts say at 104 degrees the body begins to overheat, which is why it’s super important to double check that you don’t leave anybody in your back seat.
“The younger the child the less capable they are of regulating their body temperature, so an infant is going to overheat much quicker than a toddler. A toddler will overheat much quicker than a teenager, and so forth,” said Amber Rollins the Director of Kids and Car Safety.