No charges filed as Miami Gardens PD investigation into death of boy in hot car continues
MIAMI - A 3-year-old boy died after he was accidentally left inside a hot vehicle for hours Monday in Miami Gardens.
The tragic incident happened in the parking lot of an elementary school in Miami Gardens.
According to Rabbi Benzion Korf, the Dean of the Lubavitch Educational Center, the child's parents work at the school.
Miami Gardens Police confirmed to CBS4 that the child was left in the vehicle by his father.
He did not realize that his son was missing until late in the afternoon another center worker told him he had not seen the boy all day.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death was hyperthermia or overheating of the body. The manner of death was an accident.
Monday's afternoon temperatures were in the low to mid-90s with "feels like" temps in the triple digits.
The unresponsive child was found in the sweltering vehicle and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"We are beyond devastated that we experienced an accident on the Lubavitch Education Center (LEC) campus today involving a private vehicle, which resulted in the untimely passing of the 3-year-old son of two staff members. This tragedy hits close to home, and many in our school community have been affected by it. No words can capture the heartbreak and sadness we feel," said Rabbi Korf in a statement.
Nationwide, well over 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1990, according to data collected by Kids and Car Safety.
"It's really important for people with young children to be very aware, that what might feel comfortable outside for you and I, doesn't feel comfortable for an infant," said Amber Rollins, Director of Kids and Car Safety. "The younger the child the less capable they are of regulating their own body temperature. So an infant is going to overheat much quicker than a toddler; a toddler will overheat much quicker than a teenager and so forth."
Last November, President Joe Biden signed a new law that requires all new vehicles to include an alert system that tells drivers to check their backseat.
"A vehicle acts like a greenhouse, and it heats up very quickly into really dangerous temperatures for a child," said Rollins.
She told CBS4 News the law doesn't go far enough to protect children because the alert systems currently required by law are unable to differentiate between an inanimate object and a living being.
"No one really knows what that beep means when you turn your car off. So the system is flooded with errors. However, there are systems out there that do detect living, breathing beings in the vehicle. Some of the use radar, some use Lidar," said Rollins.
No charges have been filed, as the investigation continues.
Florida is second in the nation when it comes to hot car deaths. Rollins says there are some safety habits that can save lives.
Safety Tips for parents and caregivers from Kids and Car Safety
- Make sure your child is never left alone in a car:
- Place the child's diaper bag or item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you.
- Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can't start your day without in the back seat (laptop, phone, handbag, etc.)
- Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn't arrived as scheduled.
- Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.