“After returning home, the girl’s mother went inside believing all of the children were out of the car,” the statement says. It continues, “Sometime later, the mother could not locate the 11-year-old girl and checked inside of the car where she found the girl. The mother carried the 11-year-old girl inside the house and called 911.”
She performed CPR, but it was too late. Her daughter later died at the hospital. The type of special needs or disability that the girl had are not being specifically reported by news outlets, so it’s unclear why she would not be able to get herself out of the car.
Parents need to put a warning system in place to avoid hot car deaths.
This is a terrible tragedy, and it’s one that all of us need to carry with us: no matter how busy, how distracted, make sure ALL your kids make it into the house with you after you have been in the car on a hot day. No matter how old they are, no matter if they are “typical” or have special needs: MAKE SURE. My husband uses the Waze app to remind him that he has our children in the car when he turns the car off, even though ours are seven, eleven, and fourteen years old. You really cannot be too careful in a world full of distractions and stress that can ultimately lead to accidental hot car deaths.
Do SOMETHING, moms and dads. Put a system in place. Put your shoe in your child’s car seat, or your purse in their laps. Do SOMETHING so that you will not be able to get out of the car without looking and seeing that your child is still there.
Hot car deaths are preventable. Let’s prevent them, and wipe them out.
