Bakersfield, California — A one-year-old boy died on Sunday after being left in a hot car for two hours.
It is the first such death in Kern County this year, and experts hope it will be the last.
“You have two children, correct? You had a one-year-old, possibly slightly younger, and a two-year-old. Completely different results. “One child is alive and well, and the other is not,” said Sergeant Dennis Eddy of the Bakersfield Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
This was the tragic end to one family’s Sunday outing: two boys left in the car while their mother visited a medical spa.
The one-year-old never returned home. The two-year-old is in stable condition and in protective custody.
“Everybody knows that from May to well into October, it is extremely hot here,” said Alison Votaw of the Kern Department of Human Services. “A child inside of a vehicle at 90 degrees and it be 140 degrees inside of the vehicle.”
This fateful Sunday, the high temperature was 102 degrees.
According to Bakersfield Police, the mother, Maya Hernandez, 20, has been arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
“A child three and under, their body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than in adults,” Votaw told me. “[That young age is] children that can’t get out of the car on their own, right?”
Sgt. Eddy continued: “Leaving a child unattended in a car under the age of eight, under California law is a violation.”
That is according to California’s “Kaitlyn’s Law,” which was passed in 2001 following the death of six-month-old Kaitlyn Russell. It prohibits a child under the age of six from being left alone in a vehicle without a supervisor aged twelve or older. Parents and guardians could be fined $100.
“Depending on the circumstances, the penalties increase,” said the sergeant. “Voluntary and involuntary manslaughter are already very serious charges. “You can go to prison for that.”
These experts stated that if you see a child or a pet in a hot car, the first step should be to call 911. If the situation is dire and you must break a window, you may be protected by California’s Good Samaritan law.
“This is something that happens every year,” Votaw said. “In 2024, 40 children died nationally to this preventable death.”
The most recent case in Kern County occurred last September, when another 1-year-old child was left in a car for four hours.
These tragic accidents occur too frequently, prompting Kern County to designate July as Purple Ribbon Month.
Votaw advised parents, “Number one, always look before you lock [your car].” Number two, remember to set a reminder, and number three, never leave your child alone inside or near a motor vehicle.”
She described “Forgotten Baby Syndrome,” in which children are literally forgotten in the back seat or car seats.
Votaw said it’s especially dangerous when children are in rear-facing car seats because they are less visible.
“Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can,” Votaw said, emphasising that no one is immune from such an accident. “You could be tired, you could be sleep deprived.”
