Father who lost child addresses hot car deaths in Washington

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress were joined by families who have lost loved ones in hot cars, discussing new technology that aims to prevent tragedies.

During the news conference on Wednesday, a 4-month-old girl was left inside a daycare van in Jacksonville and died. She was the eighth child to die in a hot car in 2019, according to KidsAndCars.org.

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Miles Harrison lost his 21-month old son Chase in 2008. Instead of dropping him off at daycare, he went to work and forgot his son was in the backseat.

Harrison was acquitted of all the charges against him. He's made it his life's mission to prevent other children from dying in a hot car. On Thursday, he demanded change.

"I had killed my son. I cry every day for Chase. I still haven't forgiven myself. Don't know if I ever will," Harrison said. "This didn't have to happen. If there had been a simple alert in my car, this would not have happened."

Harrison and safety experts want a federal law that would require safety devices and alarms be installed in new cars.

According to KidsAndCars.org, 52 children in the United States died in hot cars in 2018, which is the highest over the 20 years that the organization has been collecting data. The organization is working with Congress to promote the passage of the Hot cars Act of 2019, which calls for the use of special technology in cars.