Seven-week-old baby dies in hot car after family ‘forgot infant was in 40C heat for eight hours after going to church’
It has been claimed a relative did not know the baby had been put in a rear-facing seat after church
A SEVEN-week-old baby left in a baking van in 40C heat for eight hours was found dead on Sunday night.
It has been claimed a relative didn't know the baby was in a rear-facing seat in the van after church as the temperature in Mary Esther, Florida, soared.
A 911 call alerted the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida to the death and cops are now investigating.
The name of the baby and the family involved have not been released.
The Sheriff's Office posted links to child car safety on Facebook along with a statement: "The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a seven week old baby was left in a family vehicle Sunday for approximately eight hours.
"The OCSO received a 9-1-1 call around 9:30 pm when the baby was discovered dead inside a van at a family member’s home in Mary Esther.
"The family member reportedly was not aware that the child’s mother had placed the baby in a rear-facing car seat inside the vehicle after church, around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday."
The seven-week-old baby is now the 18th infant in the US and the third in Florida to die after being left in a hot car this year, according to KidsAndCars.org.
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KidsAndCars.org is pushing for Congress to pass a bill called the Hot Cars Act of 2017, which would require all vehicles to have a device that warns if a passenger is still in the back seat when the ignition is off.
The organisation works to spread awareness on the hazards of leaving children in hot cars.
In a press release it said: "Florida ranks second in the nation in these preventable tragedies with 82 fatalities from 1992-2016."
In May it was announced the the dad of a baby girl who died after allegedly being left in a car in Ireland on the hottest day of the year would not face criminal charges.
It was understood little Chloe Fogarty’s death is being treated as a terrible personal tragedy and criminal charges were not expected.
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