Hot Car Factors Into Child's Death In West Springfield: Police

SPRINGFIELD, VA — Fairfax County Police indicated the hot temperature inside a vehicle factored into a 5-year-old child's death Tuesday in West Springfield.

Police responded to the 6700 block of Grey Fox Drive around 3:22 p.m., where a child left in a car was found unconscious. Officers attempted life-saving measures before fire and rescue arrived. The child was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Detectives believe a parent took the child home earlier in the day and found him unconscious in the vehicle hours later. The temperature outside was in the 90s at that point in the day.

"The full facts and circumstances of this case remain under investigation but detectives believe the child had been in the vehicle for an extended period and that the temperature of the interior of the vehicle was a factor in his death," police stated.

A medical examiner conducted an autopsy, and foul play is not suspected.

There have been at least 13 deaths of children in hot cars this year, according to KidsandCars.org. The organization reported over 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1990.

In the wake of the hot car death in Springfield, AAA Mid-Atlantic urged residents to never leave children in a parked car, since a child's body temperature can rise at a rate faster than adults. Heatstroke is the second-leading vehicle-related cause of children's deaths after vehicle crashes. A child's organs can start to shut down at a body temperature of 104 degrees, according to healthychildren.org.

"This time, this tragedy strikes close to home," said John B. Townsend II, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Yet most parents and caregivers think this could never happen to them – they could never forget their child in the backseat of a car. However, in our fast-paced, sleep-deprived world, this tragic situation happens repeatedly."

According to AAA, bystanders who see a child in a hot car should first check if the child is ok and responsive. If not, call 911 immediately. Virginia has a Good Samaritan law that protects people from liability if breaking into a vehicle to help a person at risk of serious harm or death.

If the child is ok, AAA recommends attempting to find the parents or having security or management find the car owner.

AAA provides the following tips to keep children safe from hot cars:

• Set an alarm on your phone to go off around the time you usually arrive to work to remind you to check the back seat.
• Arrange for day care or school to check in if your child doesn’t show up as expected.
• Leave your purse, phone or diaper bag in the back seat as a visual cue to check for your child before exiting.
• Keep a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. When the child is with you, move it to the front seat as a reminder that your child is in the back.
• Place a reminder sticker on your windshield, dashboard or driver’s side window —wherever you’ll notice it—to remind yourself.
• Remove your kids from the car first and then worry about getting everything else out.
• If you see a child or pet alone in the car, call 911 immediately and follow the instructions of emergency.