Baby, 1, dies after being ‘locked in hot car’ during sweltering Sydney heat

A one-year-old baby has been found dead after reportedly being left in a hot car in the sweltering Sydney heat, police have confirmed.

Paramedics were called to a home in Chester Hill in Sydney’s west around 3:30pm on Sunday, but tragically found the 22-month-old boy unresponsive inside the home.

NSW Police have confirmed they received reports that he was locked in a car outside the residence, as temperatures rose past 30℃. He was eventually found there by family members “after concerns were raised he could not be found inside the home”. However, it’s unclear how long he was left in the car.

According to 7 News, the baby’s mother was seen running down the street by neighbours shouting “my baby”, visibly distraught, having reportedly left her baby in the care of family members.

Chester Hill: A major police investigation is underway tonight after the tragic death of a baby boy. The baby boy is believed to have died after being left in hot car. @sarinanastasi #7News pic.twitter.com/NC3cBui8vm

— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) February 3, 2019

A short time later, an older woman was seen being wheeled out of the house on a stretcher before being treated for shock by paramedics.

“Officers from Bankstown Police Area Command established a crime scene and are continuing inquiries,” police said in a statement.

Meanwhile a police spokesman added to the Mail Online: “The child had been left unattended, we’re still looking into the circumstances surrounding his death.”

It comes after Ambulance Victoria released staggering figures last year showing the amount of children being rescued from hot cars across Victoria alone. According to their report, paramedics in the state responded to 1587 callouts for people locked in cars across Victoria between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018.

Meanwhile, they said as many as 5,000 children are rescued from unattended cars across the country every year.

Kidsafe Victoria issued a strong warning to parents in the summer months, saying: “The thought of running a quick errand and leaving the children in the car for a minute can be tempting for a parent or carer. Leaving children unattended in a car on any day is dangerous, let alone a hot summer’s day. It could result in serious injury or death.”

They added: “On a typical Australian summer day, the temperature inside a parked car can be 20 degrees C to 30 degrees C hotter than the outside temperature. The temperature inside a car can reach dangerous levels quickly; 75 per cent of the temperature rise occurs within the first five minutes of closing and leaving the car. Large cars heat up just as fast as smaller ones.”

Have you ever spotted someone’s child left in a hot car? Do you think more needs to be done to stop this happening?