HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla. — Authorities are investigating an incident in Riverview. A 3-year-old child died after being found inside a parked car over the weekend.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office confirmed the child's death but has not released details about the circumstances surrounding the incident. At this time, no charges have been files.
As the investigation continues, medical experts and safety advocates are reminding parents and caregivers how quickly temperatures inside a vehicle can become deadly.
Dr. Jasmie Patterson with Mama Children’s Hospital at TGH said that any amount of time inside a hot car is unsafe for a child.
She said, “Being in a car, it’s like a greenhouse, it is absorbing all the heat, and it’s just going higher and higher.”
She explained that children under the age of four are most at risk and that cars can heat up really fast.
“Heat stroke starts at about 104 temperature, but if you get to 107 you will die,” Dr. Patterson said.
Karen Liller, a child injury prevention expert with the USF College of Public Health, says many hot car deaths occur when a caregiver unintentionally forgets a child is still in the back seat.
Liller said, “I think what’s happening in the psychology of is that right now we live in such a fast-paced society. We have so many distractions that not only parents, but people transporting the children they become preoccupied.”
Miller emphasized that these deaths are preventable and recommends creating reminders to check the back seat every time you get out of the car.
She suggests placing a phone, purse, keys, or even a shoe in the back seat to ensure you look before locking the car. She also urges parents to lock vehicles, keep keys out of reach, and make sure children cannot climb inside unattended.
Experts say if you ever see a child alone in a parked car, call 911 immediately.
Authorities have not released additional information about the Riverview case. The investigation remains ongoing.
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