11-month-old Alabama boy dies in hot car after father forgets about him and his twin sister for over three hours
OXFORD, ALABAMA: An 11-month-old boy has died after he was left in a car for more than three hours with his twin sister at a car dealership in Alabama.
The father of the twins, who works at the dealership, Sunny King Honda, had forgotten about the twins in the car until the mother had called to check on the twins.
Emergency responders reached the car dealership around 11.54 am after receiving a 911 call regarding the infants in the car, according to Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge.
By the time officers arrived, the father had taken the twins out of the backseat of his personal car and the infants were still in their car seats. The twins were taken to the Regional Medical Center emergency room where the boy passed away.
The 11-month old girl is reported to be doing well. Police have not identified the infants. In an interview with CNN affiliate WIAT, Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown said that the twins were in the car from about 8.30 am to 11.45 am.
Brown said that all indications point it to be a tragic accident, adding, "no one can fathom the way this family feels, and I especially want to make sure that people are sympathetic to this family and that they get all the facts before they pass judgment".
The dealership issued a statement saying, "The Sunny King Automotive Group family is hurting. We request your thoughts and prayers for our employee and his family and the Sunny King Automotive Group family."
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature in the area rose from the high 70s at 9 am into the high 80s around two hours later. By the time the infants were found, the temperature was 91 degrees, according to Brown.
According to NoHeatStroke.Org, 43 children have died in 2019 so far from pediatric vehicular heatstroke. The organization has been monitoring the statistic since 1998 and reports an average of 38 deaths each year of the issue. Last year, 53 children died from heatstroke after being left in the car.