Infant Dies After Being Left In Car In Alabama, Twin Sister OK

OXFORD, AL — An 11-month-old baby died after being left in a hot car in Alabama Friday afternoon, according to police and news reports. The baby boy was left in the car with his twin sister, who survived.

According to WTVM, the children were left in a car at a car dealership in Oxford. They were found around noon on Friday after being left in a personal car and not in a car on sale at the dealership, according to WTVM.

Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown told WIAT that both babies were taken to the hospital and the boy was pronounced deat at 1 p.m. Brown told the news channel that all indications appear to be that this was a tragic accident.

According to Kids and Cars, 44 children have died in hot cars in the U.S. in 2019, including two children who died in Alabama. During an average year, 39 children die of vehicular heatstroke — or one every nine days, according to Kids and Cars.

Cars can heat up quickly, even on mild days, and can become deadly in as little as 10 minutes, Jan Null, an adjunct professor and research meteorologist at San Jose State University, told Patch in an email. It's never OK to leave a child unattended in a car, Null said.

Null's research shows that on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside can reach 89 degrees within five minutes. Within an hour, it can reach 113 degrees. According to Accuweather, the high in Oxford on Friday was 95 degrees.

It's even worse on 90-degree days. Within five minutes, the temperature can reach 100 degrees; in an hour, it can reach 133 degrees.

Consumer Reports said its tests show temperatures inside cars can reach dangerous levels of children and pets within an hour. One test showed that when the temperature outside was 61 degrees, the temperature inside reached more than 105 degrees within an hour.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers some tips for parents:

• Look before you lock: Get into the routine of always checking the back seats of your vehicle before you lock it and walk away.
• Leave yourself a gentle reminder: Get in the habit of keeping a stuffed toy or other momento in your child's car seat, then move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when the baby is in the back seat. Or, place your phone, briefcase or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child.
• Get in the practice of routine checks: If someone else is driving your child, or your daily routine has been altered, make a call to make sure the child arrived safely at the destination.
• Keep your keys out of children's reach: Nearly three in 10 heatstroke deaths happen when an unattended child gains access to a vehicle, the agency said.

Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.