Bucks County Mom Faces Charges After Leaving Child In Car: Reports

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — A Bucks County mom is facing charges after she left her one-year-old child alone in a car while she went grocery shopping, Middletown Township Police said.

Patricia Baskerville, 40, of Penndel Brough has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and possession of a controlled substance.

According to a report by 6ABC, the incident happened early Monday afternoon in the parking lot of the Giant Store on New Falls Road as temperatures climbed into the 80s.

Police responded to the scene after being notified by an individual who saw the child alone inside a parked car. When police arrived around 12:45 p.m., they found the child unresponsive inside the car.

Police were eventually able to get a response from the child who they believe had been inside the car for about 30 minutes, according to the report. The child was taken to St. Mary Medical Center for evaluation.

Baskerville was arraigned Monday afternoon and released on $25,000 bail.

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, temperatures inside a closed vehicle can be 50 or more degrees higher than the outside temperature, and maximum temperatures can exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit. In the first 30 minutes after a vehicle is closed, 80 percent of total heat increase occurs, says the agency.

“Even on a day that may not seem particularly hot, it can get extremely hot inside a vehicle – and deadly - in just a matter of minutes,” said a Mid-Atlantic spokesperson.

AAA urges drivers to:

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – not even for a minute.
• If you see a child unattended in a hot vehicle, call 9-1-1.
• Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading. Don't overlook sleeping babies.
• Always lock your car and ensure children do not have access to keys or remote entry devices.
• Teach children that vehicles are never to be used as a play area.
• Teach that if they can't get out of the rear doors, to try the front doors; and that failing to honk the horn to get the attention of others.
• If a child is missing, always check the pool first (if there is one), and then the car, including the trunk.
• Keep a stuffed animal in the child car seat, and when the child is put in the seat, place the animal in the front with the driver. Or place your purse, briefcase or cell phone in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car.
• Make "look before you lock" a routine whenever you get out of the car.
• Have a plan that your childcare provider will call you if your child does not show up as scheduled.