A baby boy died in a hot car after his father forgot to drop the child off at day care on his way to work.
Six-month-old Dillon Martinez was accidentally left in the back seat of the SUV when his father drove to Walmart in San Antonio, Texas, where he is an employee, at 6.15am. When the dad finished work and came out to the car at 3pm, he realised his fatal mistake.
The baby, who had been in the vehicle for nine hours as temperatures outside hit almost 38°C, was declared dead. Emergency services found the distraught man slumped over his dead son in the back of the car. He was taken to hospital after suffering chest pains as the child’s mother was informed.
No charges have been filed in relation to the incident.
Walmart said in a statement,
“This is a tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family during this heartbreaking time.”
The incident marks the 27th time a child has died in a hot car in the USA this year. Just last week, twin fifteen-month-old girls Ariel Roxanne North and Alaynah Maryanne North died in a hot car in Georgia.
When paramedics arrived on the scene at a duplex in Carrollton, frantic neighbours had pulled the infants from the vehicle and were attempting to cool them in a nearby swimming pool using ice packs. Their father, Asa North (24) was arrested and charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless conduct.
In the wake of the tragedies, parents have been advised to place everyday items such as their mobile phones and handbags in the back seat with their children to ensure they remember to double check when they reach work.
