Infant Dies in Georgia After Being Left in Hot Car for Two Hours

By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

September 8,2015; 11:08PM,EDT

 

 

An 11-month-old boy died over the weekend when he was left in a hot car for more than two hours, according to the Associated Press.
The boy was under the care of his grandparents in Chickamauga, Georgia, while his mother, who works at night, caught up on sleep.
When the mother woke up and asked where the child was, the grandparents realized the boy, Jaxon Taylor, had been left in the car since returning from church.
The incident occurred around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday as temperatures in northwestern Georgia climbed into the upper 80s F.
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In a closed vehicle, temperatures can soar more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the outside temperature in one to two hours, with two-thirds of the heating occurring in the first 20 minutes.
The Walker County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident, which is believed to be an accident at this time.
"It appears that there were other things on their mind," Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson told CNN.
"There was a lack of communication within the three adults. They assumed that one of the others had brought in the child and laid him down. They didn't communicate who would get the child," he said.
So far in 2015, 19 children have died of heatstroke after being left in hot cars, according to the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University.
According to their research, more than 50 percent of children killed in hot cars over the past 17 years have been "forgotten" by their caregiver. Of all the deaths in that period, more than 50 percent were also aged one or younger.
(Photo/Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock)