A one-year-old girl was found unresponsive in a hot car outside a daycare centre, with temperatures in the city reaching over 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The young child was discovered by a male relative outside the facility.
The shocking incident happened in Earlwood, southwest Sydney, on Tuesday evening. Emergency services were promptly called to the scene, where the girl was pronounced dead. While the official cause of death is yet to be confirmed, police believe she had been “left inside the vehicle for an extended period of time on a very hot day.”
NSW Police Superintendent Christine McDonald issued a stark warning: “Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous. Leaving a child inside a vehicle for an extended period of time can be deadly.” The relative, who is the owner of the car, is currently receiving hospital treatment for shock and is expected to face police questioning once medically cleared.
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The child’s mother is cooperating with police inquiries as investigators seek to establish the duration the child was left in the car. Superintendent McDonald described the event as a “tragedy” and “an extremely traumatic event” for the first responders, highlighting the profound impact such incidents have on the community.
She noted: “This has rippling effects right throughout our community because so many of us can put ourselves in a similar situation,” adding that: “Most childcare centres are tight-knit. The teachers know the children and the babies so well, they’re like their own family.”
She concluded: “My thoughts and prayers are with them because that will be a very, very difficult time.”
The area experienced temperatures nearing 86 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, as per the Express US..