2 Kids Found In Hot Truck Honk For Help, Father Faces Charges

LAKE FOREST, IL — A North Chicago man faces a child endangerment charge and an investigation by state child welfare authorities after he left his two sons alone in a truck Monday for more than two hours, police said.

Shortly before noon, Lake Forest Hospital staff called 911 after security found two young boys in a Dodge pickup truck after noticing the sound of the truck's horn honking. The two boys "appeared to be in medical distress," according to a statement from Lake Forest police.

Such situations can be deadly. The National Weather Service recorded outdoor temperatures of 79 degrees at the time. At that temperature, the interior air temperature in a vehicle would rise to around 120 degrees after an hour, according to the National Safety Center.

Last year, 52 children died in hot cars — the most in two decades — and a 2-year-old boy died Monday after he was left in a van at day care in Oakland Park, Florida.

Hot Car Deaths: How Many Kids Have Died In Illinois

Since 1990, more than 900 children have died in hot cars, including 20 in Illinois, according to national statistics.

Personnel from the Lake Forest fire and police departments arrived and helped the two boys out of the truck. After evaluating the 8- and 9-year-old brothers, paramedics took them both into the hospital's emergency room for further evaluation. Police said the boys were still being treated by hospital staff when officers left.

According to police, the father of the two boys left them alone with the windows rolled up after going into the hospital. The boys had been alone for about two hours and 15 minutes before they were discovered by hospital security.

Brandon Wilson, 32, of the 2100 block of Prospect Avenue, North Chicago, was charged with one count of misdemeanor child endangerment.

The Department of Children and Family Services was also notified and opened an investigation. Police said there was no booking photograph available and Wilson is due in court on Aug. 23 in Waukegan.

More information about the dangers for children in hot cars is available from Jan Null, a meteorologist and lecturer at San Jose State University, at noheatstroke.org.

Related:

• Florida Toddler Dies After Being Left In Hot Day Care Van
• Baby Rescued From Hot Car In Lincolnwood
• Evanston Woman Left Her 2-Year-Old Child In 110-Degree Car: Cops