Washington 1-year-old child dies in hot car outside hospital: report

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 30

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A 1-year-old child has died in Washington state after being left in a hot car for nine hours outside a hospital, reports say. 

The incident happened on May 24 after the child’s foster mother arrived for work at the MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, became distracted and forgot that the infant was in the vehicle, KING 5 reports, citing the Puyallup Police Department. 

"This is a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family and everyone who was affected by this," Puyallup Police Department Captain Don Bourbon told the station, "And just want the public to know that during this time of year when it starts getting warmer, just be mindful of temperatures that are growing and safety of our families." 

Bourbon added that the mother rushed the child inside the hospital after finding it in the car later that day, in an attempt to save the infant. 

FLORIDA BABY DIES AFTER BEING LEFT FOR HOURS IN HOT CAR WHILE PARENTS ATTENDED CHURCH, POLICE SAY 

The child was found in a vehicle outside the MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington, in the Seattle area, police say. (Google Maps)

Investigators told Fox 13 that the child was in the vehicle for nine hours. 

The station reports that the child’s mother is a social worker at the hospital, and although temperatures were in the low 70s that day, the car heated up to more than 100 degrees. 

"A tragic incident took place at the Good Samaritan campus Wednesday involving an employee and their child," a hospital spokesperson told KING 5. "This incident also impacted a number of our other team members. MultiCare has offered a number of paths for support for our employees. We extend our condolences to everyone involved." 

Puyallup Police spokesman Ryan Portmann also told The Olympian newspaper that the incident involving the 47-year-old mother and the child was a "terrible, terrible situation" that unfolded on "a warm day." 

The death is one of six involving children found in hot cars this year, all of which were 4 years old or younger. 

GEORGIA JUDGE DISMISSES MURDER, CHILD CRUELTY CHARGES IN TODDLER’S HOT CAR DEATH 

Puyallup Police Department Captain Don Bourbon described the incident as "tragic." (Puyallup Police Department)

On Sunday, a baby girl died in Palm Bay, Florida, after her parents left her in a hot car while they attended church service, according to police. 

The Palm Bay Police Department said officers responded to the 6100 block of Babcock Street at 1 p.m. Sunday after an 11-month-old infant was found unresponsive inside a car, Fox 35 reported. 

The infant was left inside the vehicle for about three hours, police said. She was transported to the Palm Bay Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

The incident remains under investigation, police said. The child's parents have not been charged. 

A baby girl died in Palm Bay, Florida, after her parents left her in a hot car while they attended church service, police say. (Palm Bay Police)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

KidsandCars.org, a website that offers information, resources, and preventative measures about hot car deaths, says deaths of this nature also have occurred this year involving children in Texas and Alabama. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cars can become hot very quickly, with temperatures sometimes rising nearly 20 degrees in just minutes. The agency said leaving a window open or cracked is insufficient. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.