Girl, 4, Hospitalized After Family Finds Her Unresponsive in Hot Car

A 4-year-old girl is being treated at a suburban hospital after she climbed into a hot car on Tuesday afternoon and was found unresponsive 15 to 20 minutes later by her family members, police said.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Holly Court near McHenry at about 3:30 p.m. to assist the McHenry Fire Protection District. When they arrived, paramedics were tending to the girl who was taken to Centegra Medical Center in McHenry and then transferred to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

A preliminary investigation revealed the young girl overheard a conversation about going to her grandma’s house for diner and went outside to climb into the car without anyone’s knowledge, according to a McHenry County Sheriff’s Office press release.

The family began looking for the girl about 15 to 20 minutes later and found her in the car unresponsive. The mother immediately removed her from the car and called 911.

At this time the incident is under investigation, and the family is cooperating with police.

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