This morning, on today’s news, we heard another heartbreaking story about a child left in a hot car, found by his father 7 hours later. According to the father, he was supposed to drop his two year old son off at day care but forgot and went straight to work instead, where he left his child in the backseat in the 90+’ heat the entire day. The child died of heatstroke.
Every summer, we hear about tragic and preventable deaths just like this, where children are left alone in hot cars. More than 600 U.S. children have died this way since 1990. While generally an accident (we don’t even want to think about the cases where the parent or caregiver lives the child in a hot car to die on purpose), there is still legal recourse for a parent who’s child is left in a hot car by a caregiver or other adult and suffers serious or fatal injuries. An experienced wrongdul death attorney in Los Angeles can discuss in further detail.
In the meantime, here are some tips to avoid killing a child by leaving him or her in a hot car:
-Never leave kids alone in a hot car, even briefly.
-Always check the front and back seats of the car before you lock it and leave.
-See a kid alone in a hot car? Call 911 immediately. Get them out ASAP if they are in distress.
-Put your purse, briefcase, or something else you need by the car seat so you don’t forget to check.
-Always lock your car when it’s empty so kids can’t get in without you knowing.
The total number of U.S. heatstroke deaths of children left in cars to date for 2014 is 13 and the total number of U.S. heatstroke deaths of children left in cars for 2013 is 44. While this many not seem like a high number compared to other tragic deadly accidents, like car accidents and medical malpractice, this is a number that can be avoided.
Remember, it is never OK to leave kids or pets in a car — even with the windows down. In cities like Los Angeles, including the Valley, temperatures rise into the 100s in the summer months and the interior of cars can get even warmer.
If your child was left in a hot car by a relative, caregiver, or other adult, and died of heatstroke as a result, contact a compassionate personal injury lawyer to discuss your ability to file a wrongful death lawsuit in California. For more information on wrongful death lawsuits involving children, contact the skilled trial lawyers at BIKLAW today.