Toddler In Hot Car: Woman Shops 40 Minutes On 92-Degree Day While Daughter Sits In Car
A toddler was left in a hot car while her mother went shopping. Although the car was running and the air conditioner was on low, the temperature was 92-degrees outside in the Tampa Bay-area.
The 19-month-old girl was left inside the vehicle for 40 minutes. FOX News reports that the event, which happened Monday, led to the arrest of Vita Abramekova on charges of child neglect. Sgt. Adam Geissenberger says Pinellas Park Police were contacted by witnesses who noticed Abramenkova left her daughter in a locked, running vehicle for up to 40 minutes Monday afternoon.
Geissenberger says the air conditioning was circulating on low; the girl was found crying. Police were told by Abramenkova that her daughter was asleep, and she didn’t want to disturb her by taking her out of the car.
Abramenkova had been held at Pinellas County Jail on $2,000 bond, but was released early Tuesday morning.
Tampa Bay Times provides a few more details on exactly where the toddler was left inside the hot car Monday. According to the source. it was at a Target parking lot located at 7150 U.S. Highway 19 N.
Abramenkova is 35 and from Clearwater. A paramedic, who was in the parking lot at the time just before 5 pm, notified police of the toddler sitting inside the running car by herself. After police arrived, the girl was released to her father.
In Florida, it’s illegal to leave a child under the age of 6 inside a car for more than 15 minutes. Even though the vehicle was running and the A/C was circulating in this case, the child’s mother went over the 15-minute limit and the temperature was extremely high.
Another instance in Florida like this happened last week when a foster mother left a young child inside a hot car. She went inside a convenience store and claims she was gone only 15 minutes, but police determined it was closer to 20 minutes. The woman handed over her license as a foster parent and the the other two children in her care were given to another foster family. More about that can be read in this Inquisitr article.
The Inquisitr also reported on a father in North Carolina who filmed himself inside a hot car to show other parents what children endure when they’re forgotten about in the back seat. His video went viral on YouTube with over 1.2 million views. The father wants other parents to take the “hot car challenge” to raise awareness over this problem and prevent more deaths.
[Image Via AmericanLiveWire.com]
