HALLANDALE BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A 2-year-old child is dead after being left in the back seat of a hot car in Hallandale Beach while in the care of a babysitter, police said, the second such tragedy in Broward County in less than a week.
Hallandale Beach Police officers responded to a report of a child inside the vehicle along Northwest Seventh Avenue and Ninth Court, early Sunday afternoon.
“A 2-year-old has arrived at the hospital unconscious and not breathing,” said a dispatcher in radio transmissions.
Investigators said the child was rushed to a nearby hospital by the babysitter.
“The babysitter was responsible for having the child and that’s where the babysitter lives,” said Grace Mariot, a spokeswoman for the Hallandale Beach Police Department. “We were called from the hospital staff letting us know that this had occurred, we believe the baby was transported by the babysitter to the hospital.”
The young patient was later pronounced dead.
A neighbor, Theresa Ogden, shared her thoughts after hearing the news about the incident.
“I couldn’t get over that,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable. How can you just get out of your car and not know that you have a baby?”
Other neighbors also spoke about the incident.
“I mean it’s terrible, horrible,” said a neighbor.
“It’s devastating. Another child has lost their life,” said another neighbor.
Detectives has not specified how long that child was inside the vehicle.
The incident comes just days after another child was found dead inside a hot car. Police said a 23-month-old boy was found dead inside of an SUV after his father arrived at A World of Discovery Academy, an early childhood education center in Plantation.
The owner of the child care facility told 7News the boy’s father had forgotten to drop him off in the morning and made the horrific discovery outside of the day care that afternoon, finding his still inside the vehicle.
Leslie Novoa, the owner of A World of Discovery Academy, spoke with 7News about the tragedy.
“This is hard for the parents, hard for us,” she said. “This is sad to see this family, a wonderful family, to go through so much pain. They’re a very loving family, and unfortunately, this happened.”
The nonprofit Kids and Car Safety lists Sunday’s hot car death as the fourth in Florida involving a child this year and the 10th nationwide.
The nonprofit said children’s bodies can overheat three to five times faster than adults, and most of a vehicle’s increase in temperature happens within the first 10 minutes.
Experts say these tragedies can happen to even the most loving and responsible caregivers, especially when stress, fatigue and distractions take over, or when routines change.
“A change in routine doesn’t necessarily have to be earth-shattering. It could be a phone call or a detour on the way to work that changes the consciousness of a person and makes their brain go on autopilot,” said Chloe Burke with Kids and Car Safety. “And then from there, they might unknowingly [forget] that their child is still in the vehicle.”
Back in Hallandale Beach, authorities released a statement “to remind every parent, guardian, and caregiver in our community [to] always check the back seat before locking your vehicle and walking away. Temperatures inside a parked car can climb to dangerous levels within minutes, even on days that don’t feel especially hot. One last look before you shut the door can save a child’s life.”
Now, another innocent family has been changed forever.
“An innocent baby, now she’s gone. Or he’s gone. It’s awful,” said Ogden.
Experts recommend taking an important item to be put in the back to stay focused.
Police have not specified whether or not anyone will be facing charges or whether the babysitter was related to the toddler in any way, as they continue to investigate this incident and compile information for the State Attorney’s office.
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