Doctor offers warning after toddler’s hot car death near Vicksburg

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is waiting for autopsy and toxicology reports as it investigates the death of a 3-year-old who was found in his father’s car Tuesday.

Deputies say they believe the child died due to prolonged heat exhaustion.

The child is believed to have died at a Brady Township address. His father discovered him in the car around 3 p.m. after stopping at a Family Fare in Vicksburg following work to shop.

Nationwide, the case marks the 20th time a child was found dead in a hot car this year, according to data from advocacy group Kids and Car Safety .

Dr. Jayce Deleon with the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine said there is no safe amount of time for a child to be left alone in a car.

“Once a child has been left inside of the car, it doesn’t matter what the outside temperature is because the temperature of the car could actually increase pretty quickly. And with children, their bodies are pretty small and it takes more time for their bodies to dissipate the heat and they are very prone to getting heat stroke compared to adults,” Deleon said.

Emma Youngs, Bronson Healthcare Childhood Injury Prevention and Safe Kids coordinator, echoed the risk.

“Young children are particularly at risk as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s. As an example, on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a car can rise 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes and it keeps getting hotter with each passing minute,” Youngs wrote in an email to News 8.

While heat stroke is more common during the summer, it can happen year-round — Deleon said there is danger even when the outdoor temperature is only 50 degrees or so.

Heat exhaustion and stroke symptoms in children are similar to those in adults.

“Children may start to have symptoms of headaches, dizziness, fatigue. Eventually, it’s going to difficulty of breathing or lethargy, and that will lead to death,” Deleon said.

Youngs said that on average, 40 children die of heatstroke every year in the United States.

“While some are unintentionally left in vehicles, others gain access on their own. Never leave your child alone in a vehicle for any reason, and make sure your vehicle stays locked with keys out of reach from young children,” Youngs wrote.

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