One-year-old Florida girl dies in hot car after 'busy' father forgets she was inside and takes another car to work
TAMPA, FLORIDA: A one-year-old girl reportedly passed away after she was left inside a hot car for the entire day on Monday, October 14, in Florida.
The child's death makes it the 50th hot car-related death in the country this year. The little girl was found unconscious inside her family's car that was parked outside of their Tampa home on Monday evening.
The parents of the child had called 911 around 6.30 pm and she was rushed to a nearby hospital. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Investigators learned that the child had been left inside the car on Monday morning with temperatures reaching above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Tampa.
Police spokesman Steve Hegarty shared with WFTS, "It appears it was a very busy morning for the family."
"They have several other children as well, and in an effort to get everybody where they needed to go, the toddler was left in the back seat," Hegarty continued.
The child's death is currently under investigation. According to Hegarty, the death was accidental and no foul play has been suspected.
"The dad used the vehicle the toddler was in to take people to school, then took a separate car to work and that caused him to forget the child was in the back seat of the car. He left and went to work and then came home," Hegarty added.
In 2018, there were 54 hot car-related deaths in the country, according to data from KidsAndCars.org.
The president of the organization, Janette Fennell, wanted parents to understand that this situation can happen to anyone.
She spoke to ABC News and explained, "As a county, we need to understand that you can't educate a brain not to forget. The No. 1 indicator [of a hot-car incident] is a change in routine."