NJ girl, 2, dies of cardiac arrest after parents leave her in hot car in driveway for SEVEN hours
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY: A two-year-old girl died after being left in the backseat of a hot car that was parked in the family's driveway for seven hours in New Jersey. On Tuesday, August 30, emergency responders were called to a residence in Franklin Township, which borders Princeton.
A firefighter neighbor saw the child in the family's gray Honda Civic parked in the driveway on Summerall Road and called an ambulance. The caller reported that a toddler had experienced cardiac arrest; CPR was administered to the child, but she was later declared dead at the scene. The parents were devastated to learn what had occurred when the police knocked on their door to inform them of the tragedy.
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A neighbor spoke to NBC New York and said, "They were just screaming in pain and anguish. She collapsed to the ground and he went to console her." He added, "The mother was taken away in an ambulance. They're great parents. I've seen them be very loving and doting on their daughters."
The sound of the parents' wailing, according to Treana Huntley, who lived across the hall from them, was devastating, as told to The Franklin Reporter. Huntley said, "It was gut-wrenching, almost made me want to break into tears. As a mother, just hearing that pain from another mother, was very hurtful to hear. I wouldn't wish that on anybody." According to Huntley, the death has shaken the entire neighborhood. "This whole block was very emotional," she stated.
The family has not been identified, and the cause of death is unknown.
According to kidsandcars.com, the toddler is the 22nd to die this year in the US after being left in a hot car, with four of those deaths occurring within a week in August. Amber Rollins, the director, is collaborating with families who have lost children in tragic accidents to require technology that could stop more deaths in all brand-new cars. Parents and the organization Kids and Car Safety wrote to Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the Department of Transportation, pleading with him to implement the clause that was approved in the infrastructure bill last year.
Speaking to the organization, Elizabeth Crapo, whose 20-month-old daughter Marah died after being left in a car, stated, "Every parent has made mistakes, no matter what it looks like. Sadly, some of the mistakes result in tragedy and none of us expect it. And all of a sudden, you’re part of this club no one wants to be part of." Marah's father, Austin Crapo also said, "I failed in my job as a protector. I failed my child. I promise you nobody could make me feel worse."