JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You think it will never happen to you or your child and the reality is it happens more than anyone realizes.
Thirty children die every year after they became trapped inside a hot car.
These are the faces of children forgotten in hot cars. Deaths that could have been prevented had parents or caregivers followed just one of the following recommendations:
"The trick is to have a great relationship with your day care provider," reminds Danielle Kessenger, with Safe Kids of Northeast Florida. "Even on a mild day like today, 70 to 75 degrees, in 15 minutes the temperature can rise 20 degrees in your car. That's significant because babies and children heat up three (to) five times faster than we do," she explained.
Keep in mind, most of the tragedies have involved parents or caregivers who have changed their routine for some reason on that day. For example, a parent who doesn't usually take the child to day care, was supposed to, but forgot.
Many babies sleep in their car seats and don't make any noise, making it easier for a parent to forget their child is in the backseat. Babies ride in rear- facing car seats, so they often cannot be seen in the seat through the rear view mirror.
Two days ago, a 16 month old girl died in her father's hot car in Lake City. We just learned yesterday, that police say the baby's father and mother had a miscommunication. He was supposed to take his daughter to day care, but drove to work instead.
Young Kwon did not discover his daughter until he returned home at the end of the day. He is an assistant public defender in Columbia county. His wife, Wendy Kwon, is an assistant state attorney. They have two older children. A co-worker of Young Kwon described it as a terrible accident.