FL Toddler Dies After Being Left In Hot Car By Babysitter, Marking 4th Hot-Car Death This Year

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — A 2-year-old girl is dead after she was recently left in a car on a hot day in Hallandale Beach, according to police and a media report.

Officers responded around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to a local hospital after a toddler was left inside a 2012 Honda Odyssey van in the the 900 block of Northwest 7th Avenue, Hallandale Beach Police said.

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The girl had been left in the care of a babysitter at the time, police said. The toddler was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.

An official cause of death was not released. The girl was not identified.

ABC News reported the heat index was 101 degrees Sunday.

The Broward State Attorney's Office will determine whether or not criminal charges should be pressed in the case, police said.

"No family should ever have to experience a tragedy like this," Hallandale Beach Police Chief Michel Michel said in a news release. "I urge every parent, grandparent, guardian, babysitter and caregiver to make it a habit of checking the back seat before locking your vehicle. A simple routine, such as placing your phone, purse or another essential item in the back seat can serve as a reminder and help prevent an unimaginable loss. One last look can save a child's life."

The fatal incident came after a child who was left in a car at a preschool died around 5:45 p.m. Monday in the 7000 block of Northwest 4th Street, Plantation Police said.

The Plantation Fire Department confirmed the child's death, police said.

The child was identified as an 18-month-old boy who attended the preschool, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

When his father went to pick up the boy from the center after work, the Sentinel reported he realized the boy had been left in the car all day.

Four children have died in hot cars this year in Florida, according to data from Kids and Cars. Nationally, there have been 10 children to die in hot cars.

A female infant died on March 31 in Winter Haven, and a 3-year-old boy died on June 20 in Riverview, according to the data.

The Florida Department of Children and Families offer the following tips to prevent heat-related deaths of children in cars:

• Never leave a child in a car unattended, not even for a minute.
• Check the back seat every time your park.
• Create reminders: put a bag, phone or shoe in the back seat.
• Lock parked cars to stop kids from climbing in.
• Teach caregivers, sitters and grandparents about the dangers of hot cars.
• Activate car and app reminders when available.
• Call 911 immediately if you see a child alone in a car.
• Remove the child if they are unresponsive and begin cooling with shade or cool cloths.
• Florida law protects you if you break into a vehicle to rescue a child.