Another hot car death is making headlines, this time the tragic story is out of St. George, Utah.
Summer is a time of family events and busy gatherings. It’s also a time when too many hot car deaths occur and people frequently cite distraction or forgetfulness in leaving young children behind in cars parked in the scorching temperatures. Unfortunately, a toddler that died on Saturday has become another statistic in this ever-growing problem.
WJLA 7 News reported that a two-year-old was left in a hot car when a family reunion was taking place on Saturday night that consisted between 25 and 35 people. Families attended the reunion in multiple cars. They then returned to a different area in the Winchester Hills area for a religious meeting. Later on, a family returned home when they noticed the child was missing and started a search. Authorities say the toddler had fallen asleep in one of the cars and didn’t get out, which the adults weren’t aware of until it was too late. Washington County Sheriff’s Department received a call about the toddler being in the hot car at 6:34 p.m., but by the time authorities arrived the child was dead.
Authorities haven’t identified the toddler in the St. George, Utah hot car death.
Deseret News reported that law enforcement are calling the child’s death “ an unfortunate accident .” The child was discovered by a father when he got inside the van.
Utah toddler dies in hot car as relatives attend family reunion. https://t.co/MnaBWbxfEA pic.twitter.com/pi4yaTP4sH
— BakersfieldNow (@bakersfieldnow) June 26, 2017
According to a statement issued by the sheriff’s office, detectives determined that the two-year-old had been inside the van for at least six hours based off interviews with family members and witnesses.
2-year-old dies after being left in hot car in St. George https://t.co/UrUFCcAfdm #Utah
— UtahPage (@UtahPage) June 26, 2017
The news site went on to cite statistics published by kidsandcars.org that revealed since 1990, about 800 children have died from heat stroke in hot cars. From the beginning of 2017 until June 14, there have been 12 children who died from a hot car death; this number doesn’t include the toddler in Utah who died over the weekend — or the Texas woman who’s accused of killing her children by deliberately leaving her two-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son in a hot car to “teach them a lesson.”
[Featured Image by Lukas Gojda/Shutterstock]
