Tragically, a 1-year-old boy in Washington state died after being left unattended in a car for nine hours while his adoptive mother worked a shift at a local hospital.
According to police, the foster mother inadvertently left the child in the car when she arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.
After completing her shift, she discovered the boy’s presence in the car and rushed him to the hospital.
“The child was unresponsive, and life-saving measures were attempted,” Bourbon says, but the child did not survive.
Despite the temperature in Puyallup, which hovered in the 70s, the temperature inside the vehicle where the boy was left was over 100 degrees, investigators reported.
It is worth noting that the foster mother works as a social worker at the hospital.
Talking to people, the hospital said, “A tragic incident took place on the Good Samaritan campus on Wednesday involving an employee and his son,”
“This incident also affected other members of our team. MultiCare has offered several avenues of support for our employees. We extend our condolences to all involved.”
According to Police Captain Bourbon, the foster mother and her husband, who served as the child’s foster parents, have fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation.
KOMO News reported that the couple had another child in their care, but that child has now been released back into the custody of child services.
The investigation is still ongoing, and once it is concluded, the Pierce County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to press charges in this tragic incident.
“We are all hectic in our lives,” says Bourbon. “We all have a lot to do. And this unfortunate situation is hopefully reminding us to take a step back, slow down and make sure that we’re looking out for our families and looking out for each other.”
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According to Kids and Car Safety, at least six children have tragically died this year due to vehicular heat stroke.
In response to these incidents, police urge everyone to prioritize the safety of small children and pets and never leave them unattended inside a vehicle, regardless of the temperature outside.
The Seattle Fire Department emphasizes that it doesn’t have to be a hot day for the temperature inside a car to reach dangerous levels that can cause heat stroke.
In just 10 minutes, a car can heat up to 19 degrees, as stated in the department’s safety guidelines. It is important to note that breaking a window does not relieve the heat inside the vehicle.
The department notes that young children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related hazards, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults. This information underscores the importance of taking extra precautions to ensure the well-being of young children in vehicles.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn