TL/DR –
A two-year-old girl in Arizona died after being left in a car during a heatwave, with her father leaving her asleep in the car with the air conditioning on. The child was found unresponsive after the car had stopped running and the air conditioning was off. According to the National Safety Council, an average of 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a hot vehicle, and a child’s body temperature heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s.
Arizona Toddler Tragedy: Left in Car During Heat Wave
An Arizona toddler succumbed to heatstroke after her father inadvertently left her asleep in the car amidst a heat wave. The Marana police reported that initial investigations suggest the father had left the car and air conditioning running, keeping the child inside while he went into his home.
The girl’s mother discovered her unresponsive in the car upon her return. The vehicle had ceased running and the air conditioning was off. Emergency services were alerted and arrived shortly after 4 p.m. The child spent approximately 30 minutes to an hour in the car before being found, according to CNN affiliate KNXV.
Despite efforts to resuscitate her, the toddler was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. An ongoing investigation into the incident is being conducted by Marana police detectives, who obtained a search warrant on Tuesday night.
Marana police Capt. Tim Brunenkant shared with CNN affiliate KPNX that they are currently interviewing the father and any witnesses or neighbors to ascertain the car’s operational status when the child was left.
Temperatures in Marana that Tuesday ranged from 102 to 108 degrees according to the National Weather Service. Similar incidents have been occurring across the US amidst a severe heat wave, causing numerous deaths.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a 5-year-old boy was found unresponsive in a car under similar circumstances. Local police are investigating the case. Ten children have died in hot vehicles in the US this year, as per NoHeatStroke.org. The site, run by a San Jose State University lecturer, also reports that 44 children have succumbed to vehicular heatstroke in Arizona since 1998.
The National Safety Council states that on average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a hot vehicle. A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, and they can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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