Young child dies in back seat of hot car as temperature touched 90 degrees in Tennessee
TENNESSEE: A young child was found dead in the back of a locked car on a day when the temperature soared to 90 degrees in in Tennessee. According to the authorities, the child was found in a car on August 9, outside Food City store in Knoxville around 3.15 p.m.
According to a report in Daily Mail, the police refused to reveal the gender or the age of the child. They said attempts to revive the child were unsuccessful and the victim was pronounced dead on the scene.
Knoxville Police Department spokesman Scott Erland was quoted by USA Today as saying, "Young child. It was a young child, we can confirm that for sure." He also added, "It’s important to note how fast a car can heat up when it’s closed and the windows are up, it heats up incredibly fast. And really, animal or child are really going to struggle in those environments and they can’t be left very long."
He further added, "So, it’s always a reminder to look before you leave your vehicle. Check your backseats. Set reminders for yourself to check the backseat and make sure the child isn’t back there." The whereabouts of the parents during the period when the child was left in the car as the temperature raised has not been revealed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 837 children younger than 14 – including 30 in Tennessee – died from being left in hot cars between 1990 to 2017.
According to the information from East Tennessee Children's Hospital, when the temperature outside the car soars to 93 degrees, the temperature inside the car increases to as much as 125 degrees in just about 20 minutes. This temperature will then result in the body temperature increasing to dangerous levels.