Toddler dies in hot car after parent forgot she was there

An 18-month-old toddler died after being left in the back of a hot car for an entire working day, it has been reported.

School teacher Jamie Buckley of Cedar Grove school in Panama City in Florida of the US arrived at work around 7:30am. She left the car and forgot her daughter was sitting in the back in a child seat.

Temperatures were said to be around 28 degrees celsius on the day of the incident, which meant the in car temperature could have been as much as 55 degrees celsius. Buckley returned to the car at 3:15pm only to find her daughter was dead. 

Deputies from the Bay County sheriff’s office arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency services call, but it was too late as the baby was no longer breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Currently no one is being charged in relation to the toddler’s death.

The sheriff’s office issued the following statement: “A preliminary investigation revealed the mother, Jamie Buckley, a teacher at Cedar Grove Elementary, arrived at school between 7 and 7.30 am and forgot the child in the car. When she went to her car to leave after school she found the child, Reagan Buckley, still in her car seat.” 

As many as 30 youngsters have died in the same fashion in the US in 2014, leading to passers-by taking the law into their own hands by smashing car windows to rescue children who have been left behind. 

Unfortunately parents can make mistakes and most do little, if any, harm. But in this case, however, it seems it was hours before the parent even realised where her daughter was for reasons unknown.