A one-year-old child died after being left in the back seat of a car in Puyallup, Washington, for over eight hours Wednesday.
A hospital employee working in social services at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital returned to her car at 5:00 p.m. and discovered the child, King 5 reported. She immediately rushed the child into hospital, but the toddler, who is believed to be a foster child, could not be revived.
“This is a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family and everyone who was affected by this,” Puyallup Police Department Captain Don Bourbon told KING 5. “And just want the public to know that during this time of year when it starts getting warmer, just be mindful of temperatures that are growing and the safety of our families.”
No charges have been filed against the woman, who reportedly was distracted when she arrived at the hospital at 8:00 a.m.
A spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement to KING 5:
A tragic incident took place at the Good Samaritan Hospital campus Wednesday involving an employee and their child. This incident also impacted a number of our other team members. MultiCare has offered a number of paths for support for our employees. We extend our condolences to everyone involved.
Temperatures that day in Puyallup were from 70 to 75 degrees, but police say temperatures inside the car reached more than 100 degrees.
It takes just ten minutes for a car’s temperature to increase 20 degrees, becoming a death trap for children, pets, and even adults, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult’s.
“Last year 33 children died of heatstroke in vehicles,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website says.
Multiple apps exist to help prevent parents from leaving their child in hot cars, and since 2016, the Waze GPS App has had a “Child Reminder” feature.
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