Children Left in Cars Amid U.S. Heat Wave... Spike in Deaths

Rapid Temperature Rise Inside Cars
"Over 100 Degrees Within 10 Minutes"

As extreme heat waves continue to sweep across the United States, incidents of children dying after being left alone in cars are on the rise.

On August 2 (local time), the U.S. nonprofit organization Kids and Car Safety reported that, so far this year, nine children nationwide have died after being left in "hot cars." In total, nine children in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, New Jersey, and North Carolina died from heatstroke after being left in overheated vehicles.

(This photo is not directly related to the article.) Pixabay

One of the most recent cases occurred on July 28 in Hastings, Nebraska. According to U.S. media outlets such as the New York Post, a five-month-old baby was left alone in a car during a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 36 degrees Celsius and died after succumbing to the heat.

At the time, a heat advisory was in effect across Nebraska, and the daytime high reached 36.6 degrees Celsius. When the police, responding to a citizen's report, rescued the baby, the child was already unconscious.

The baby's father, Jeremy Hanson, 36, was arrested on charges of child neglect resulting in death. The Adams County District Attorney's Office in Nebraska indicted him on July 30.

According to various media outlets, child deaths in vehicles can occur regardless of the season, and the National Safety Council stated that since 1998, such incidents have been reported in every state except Alaska. In both 2018 and 2019, 53 children died after being left in cars, marking the highest annual tolls on record. Last year, 39 children died in similar circumstances.

The child protection organization Safe Kids Palm Beach County warned that even when outside temperatures are not extremely high, a child left in a car can be exposed to life-threatening heat. A representative from the organization stated, "The temperature inside a car can rise by 10 degrees Celsius in just 20 minutes," and warned, "For example, in southern Florida, an outside temperature of 26.6 degrees Celsius may feel mild, but inside a car, it can exceed 37 degrees Celsius in just 10 minutes."