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Baby boy dies after he is left in car during 90F heatwave by his deaf grandmother who now faces life in prison for his death[/caption]

Baby Boy Left in Car Dies

El Cajon, California - the parents of a four month old infant boy have been arrested in connection with his death this past Saturday. Police responded to a 911 call from a resident at an apartment complex located at 500 block of north Mollison Avenue in this city of 100,000 residents.

The man who phoned police was a local resident named Larry Singleton who got involved when neighborhood children frantically approached him that a child was unattended inside a car.

The temperature in the city rose to 81 F which was certainly higher inside the vehicle. Police arrived at 1:30PM and found the baby unconscious. An officer performed CPR and the child was rushed to the hospital, but died shortly after arriving. Both parents are charged with the death of the infant. It's not quite clear what reasons were behind them leaving the child in the car, but police are investigating the death and gathering evidence for the formal charges to be levied against the parents.

The official coroner’s report has not been released yet. While it goes without saying that leaving a child in a car is dangerous, it still happens. This year, 24 children have died from being left in their cars.

Children Left In Hot Cars All Too Often

According to a study from the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco University, there have been at least 24 deaths of children left unattended in vehicles so far this year. In 2012, that number was 33.

The Canadian Safety Council (CSC) warns against leaving children alone in cars, even for a brief moment.

The CSC says that when it comes to summer heat, a child can go into shock and suffer organ failure after being in an overheating car for just a few minutes.

"Children are especially sensitive to heat exposure because their sweat glands are not fully developed, which means their bodies are not capable of cooling down quickly," the council says. "When exposed to heat, a child’s body temperature rises three times faster than an adult in the same conditions."

A U.S. group studying child heatstroke deaths says that 15 children have died after being left in a car already this year. In 2012, that number reached 32. Thirty-two American children were left in a car, even for a few moments, and died as a result.
Similar statistics aren't available for Canada, but the Canadian Safety Council estimate is between four and six children each year.

Here in Cananda we've lost two in the past two weeks. Take care out there.

On The Web:

Baby Left Unattended in Hot Car Dies: Police
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Baby-Dies-Left-in-Hot-Car-El-Cajon-Mollison-Avenue-217257991.html

Edmonton child latest to die after being found in overheated car
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/edmonton-child-dies-being-found-overheated-car-185153773.html