Two (2) babies left in hot cars died in two incidents on the east coast Friday. Both tragedies reportedly occurred because the driver simply forgot that the baby was back there.
NBC Washington reported that a 32-year-old Arlington County, Virginia mother was charged with felony child neglect on Saturday. Zoraida Magali Conde Hernandez is being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility.
According to police, she forgot to drop off her 8-month-old infant boy and instead drove straight to work on Friday. He was trapped in the car for six hours before she came out and discovered him.
Although she rushed him to INOVA Alexandria Hospital, he died soon afterwards of heat stroke.
The second of the two babies left in hot cars died on the same day in Baltimore, Maryland.
In that case, an unnamed family relative left 16-month-old Sabriya Towels in the back of his truck when he forgot to drop her off at Head Start daycare.
He didn’t realize that Sabriya had actually been forgotten in the hot truck for hours until he went to pick her up from daycare, and the staff said that the baby had never arrived that day.
According to CBS Baltimore , that case is being investigated by the Maryland State Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges will be filed.
For a graphic video of how fast a car can heat up in the summer, even with the windows cracked, check out this video from a veterinarian who locked himself in a car for 30 minutes . The vehicle quickly heats to 117 degrees Fahrenheit — a temperature that could kill a vulnerable pet or a small child left behind.
Kids and Cars warns that about 38 children left in hot cars die every year. The two babies left in hot cars that died Friday are a grim addition to the statistic.
[baby in car stock photo by greenland via Shutterstock ]