One-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Left In Hot Car For Eight Hours

A one-year-old boy has died after being left in a hot car for more than eight hours.

He was found outside his mother's work in a parking lot in Pembroke Pines, Florida, at around 5pm on - a day where temperatures reached as high as 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Orlando Sun-Sentinel reports that the boy's mother had driven to work on Friday morning and left the boy in a child safety car seat.

Paramedics arrived on the scene and tried to resuscitate him, but CPR efforts were sadly unsuccessful. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Pembroke Police Department told the Daily Mail that at this time it will not be releasing the family's name, or announcing whether or not charges will be filed against them.

Sgt Adam Feiner asked the community to always double check vehicles for loved ones or pets after parking.

"Members of our community are reminded that leaving a child inside a car is a year-long hazard," he said in a statement.

"But it is especially deadly during the summer months when temperatures can climb above 100 degrees within minutes."

The family's lawyer, Lawrence Hashish, said that the boy's death was a tragic accident and referred to the child's mum as a 'good mother'.

"She's very family-oriented and very involved in the church," he told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel.

"She has a lot of family, friends, and church members helping her cope and counsel her."

According to KidsandCars.org, the boy is the 24th child - and the second in Florida - to die in a hot car in the US in 2018. The site explains that on average 37 children die each year in the country after being in trapped inside vehicles, and that Florida is the state with the second highest fatality rate for children in hot cars.

City of Miami Fire Rescue member removes test dummy used for rescue demonstration on methods to save the life of an infant or pet in case of emergency (Photo by Sebastian Ballestas/Miami Herald/TNS). Credit: PA

It continues to explain that there are many reasons why these tragedies happen - and that in over 55 percent of cases, the person responsible for the child's death has 'unknowingly' left them in the vehicle.

"In most situations this happens to the most loving, caring and protective parents," the site warns.

"The majority of parents are misinformed and would like to believe that they could never 'forget' their child in a vehicle. The most dangerous mistake a parent or caregiver can make is to think leaving a child alone in a vehicle could never happen to them or their family."

Other contributing factors include the fact that a child's body overheats 3-5 times faster than an adult body, and that children and babies often fall asleep in rear-facing safety seats, therefore falling quiet.