2 children die in hot cars hours apart in Central Florida

Since 1998, nearly 800 children have died from heat stroke in vehicles

ORLANDO, Fla. – Authorities say two children were found dead in hot vehicles just hours apart in central Florida. The Orlando Sentinel reported that both deaths occurred Friday afternoon in the Orlando area.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says a passer-by spotted a 4-year-old boy alone in a locked car with the engine turned off in the parking lot of Elite Preparatory Academy. Firefighters rushed the boy to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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About two hours later, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office says a 1-year-old girl was found dead inside a hot car at a Sanford gas station. In this case, the mother of the girl, Kailyn Pollard, said she normally drops her daughter at day care before going to work, but forgot her baby was in the car. The car found dead seven hours later.

Pollard (pictured, right) was charged with negligent manslaughter and was held without bail Saturday. 

Area temperatures were in the 90s Friday. 

Hot car deaths are a consistent problem

According to the safety organization Kids and Cars, an average of 37 children die each year in hot cars.

So far this year, 48 children have died, according to kidsandcar.org.

These include instances where a child has been forgotten in a car, accidentally locks themselves in a car or trunk, or, in a small number of cases, when a child has been intentionally left in a car.

NoHeatStroke.org, a data site run by a member of the Department of Meteorology & Climate Science at San Jose State University, has been collecting data on these incidents since 1998. Since that time, the highest number of deaths per year was in 2010, with 49 deaths. 2015 had the lowest rate of incidents, with 24. 2017 was also an unusually deadly year, with 42 recorded deaths.

It can happen anywhere

It seems obvious that states with the highest temperatures are usually where the most deaths by vehicular heatstroke happen, but there have been instances recorded in nearly every state.
According to NoHeatStroke.org, Texas had the most such deaths from 1998 to 2015, with 100. Florida had 72 deaths, California had 44, Arizona had 30 and North Carolina had 24.
These figures do not adjust for population, so a larger state such as Texas or California may have more deaths regardless of climate.

Summer always brings an onslaught of deaths

The hottest months inevitably bring the highest numbers of hypothermia incidents, so summer, late spring and early fall are the most treacherous times. As of July 20, 26 children have already lost their lives this year in hot car-related deaths.

On July 18, a 3-year-old boy in Houston died when he was left in a bus after a day care field trip. Records from the day care show the boy had erroneously been accounted for as the group reassembled after the trip. By the time the deadly oversight was realized, he had been in the bus for at least three and a half hours. When police arrived, the temperature in the bus was 113 degrees.

Earlier this year, in May, a 1-year-old girl died in Tennessee after her father forgot to drop her off at her day care before heading out of town on a business trip. He parked his car in the family's driveway with the daughter still in it, and then used a ride-share service to depart for the trip. This sort of situation -- where a parent or guardian forgets a child because of a lapse in temporal memory and a disrupted routine is very common.

Younger children are more at risk

A vast majority (87 percent) of vehicular heatstroke victims are 3 or younger. More than half (55 percent) are 1 or younger. As Kids and Cars' research notes, the prevalence of back seat safety seats, especially rear-facing ones, may account for the young age of most victims, since the children are out of the driver's view and can't effectively communicate.

Laws governing the circumstances vary

While leaving a child in a hot car can certainly bring about serious legal charges, only 19 states have concrete laws on the books that make it illegal to leave a child alone in a car in the first place.
Most of these laws refer to either "leaving a child unattended" or, more broadly, "endangering a child."
Kids and Cars reports 15 other states have proposed similar laws.

However, most organizations that combat child vehicular heatstroke argue that such laws aren't what prevent hot car deaths, since they are almost always accidental. Kids and Cars supports several initiatives to encourage awareness and communication among drivers and caregivers.

Additionally, many states, including Florida, have good Samaritan laws that protect citizens if they intervene, reasonably, in an emergency or life-threatening situation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

  • Kids aren't built for heat: Children's body temperatures rise three-five times faster than adults.
  • Seconds count: The temperature of a car can climb 20 degrees in 20 minutes.
  • It doesn't have to be hot: Heatstroke can occur in the shade, with the windows down, and even at temperatures as low as 57 degrees.

Car manufacturers are seeking technical solutions to prevent children from dying in hot vehicles.

For more information on what's being done and tips on what you can do to help prevent hot car child deaths,  CLICK HERE.