Toddler dies in car after mom says she forgot to drop her off before work, TX cops say
A Texas mother told police she forgot to drop her daughter off at day care, leading to the toddler’s death, authorities said.
Officers were called Aug. 20 at about 1:30 p.m. to Tom Browne Middle School regarding “an infant left in a vehicle,” according to a news release from the Corpus Christi Police Department.
First responders found the school nurse administering CPR to the 22-month-old, police said.
The child was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead shortly after, authorities said.
Detectives arrested the child’s mother, 33-year-old Hilda Ann Adame, on charges of injury to a child and abandoning or endangering a child, according to police.
According to an arrest affidavit, Adame told detectives her daughter was asleep in the vehicle and that she forgot to drop her off at day care on her way to work at the middle school, KRIS reported.
Adame arrived at work around 8 a.m. and only saw that her child was still in the vehicle when she went back out to her SUV at 1 p.m., the outlet reported, citing a police report.
Temperatures were reported to be 102 degrees Fahrenheit just after 1 p.m. on Aug. 20, the outlet reported.
The mother brought the toddler to the school nurse’s office where they performed CPR until authorities arrived, KIII reported citing court records.
In a statement shared by the outlet, Corpus Christi Independent School District Chief Communications Officer Leanne Libby said: “Corpus Christi ISD and school officials are aware of a young child being found in a hot car Tuesday at Tom Browne Middle School. We want to express our gratitude to those who swiftly responded upon learning of this crisis, including school staff as well as district police and local law enforcement.”
Hot Car Deaths
More than 975 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.
“Leaving a window open is not enough - temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.
