A mother from New Jersey has been arrested after her 1-year-old daughter died due to being in a hot car for more than 2 hours, according to prosecutors. The 25-year-old Chaya Shurkin was arrested and charged with endangering a child’s welfare.
The case started on 6th of May when the officers in New Jersey responded to a report for a distressed child. The daughter of Shurkin who was 21-months old at the time was left alone in the car in the heat for approximately 2.5 hours.
Sadly, the temperature reached 71 degrees that day. What the officers found in the car was shocking!
Child Dead after Being Left in Hot Car by Her Mom
When the officers arrived at the scene, they found the neighbor trying to give CPR to the baby; the baby was immediately transferred to a hospital; unfortunately, she could not make it.
According to the investigation, the act of leaving a child in a car alone and unattended for a prolonged period of time was the reason and manner of the child’s death. But, her mother has not yet appeared in court.
Unfortunately, deaths from hot cars have reached a peak last year with a staggering number of at least 52 children killed, from California, to Mississippi, to Tennessee.
The bodies of children tend to heat up faster than that of adults and their internal organs start to shut down when their body temperature reaches 104 degrees. The time for a car to get hot for children is very little.
How to Keep Your Kids Safe in Summer?
Just as an example, on an 86-degree day, the time needed for the car to reach dangerous 105 degrees is around 10 minutes. In order to maintain the safety of your child in summer, you need to keep your car closed. This should also be done by every driver, regardless of whether they have a child or not.
The keys need to be kept out of the child’s reach and in case a child is missing, it is important to check in the trunk and inside of cars in the area. Make sure you teach your child how to honk the horn in case of being stuck in a car.
And, whenever you see a child or an animal in a car and alone, it is important to do something and call the police. Try to get them out of the car if possible and try to cool them.
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