A Northern California toddler is dead and his mother is in jail on Friday night after she allegedly left the boy inside a car for nearly 10 hours.
It’s the first child vehicular heatstroke death so far this year in the state.
On Friday, KRON4 talked with the California Highway Patrol about the dangers parents need to stay mindful of.
Twenty-three-year-old Alexandrea Raven Scott, of Trinidad, is being held without bail, charged with willfully causing or permitting a child to suffer great bodily injury or death.
The Mendocino County Sheriff says the young mother left her 18-month-old son inside her car for 10 hours while visiting a friend in Willits.
They were called to the scene after 1:30 p.m. Thursday. By that time, the temperature outside the car was 80 degrees.
The website noheatstroke.org says it’s the first child vehicular heatstroke so far this year in the state.
And as temperatures around the bay are expected to heat up, local law enforcement is asking that parents be mindful of their little ones.
“If you’re outside, it’s 80 degrees,” CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said. “After some time, 20-30 minutes inside of the car, can go to 130 so people don’t think about that.”
Officer Hahn says just like it’s the law to buckle up, there is a law on the books prohibiting leaving small children unattended in a vehicle.
But he believes parents need to be more conservative when it comes to their children’s safety.
“California law says that you can’t leave anyone in a car tat’s that’s under 6 years old. That’s the law some people only want to know, what the lawyers [want to know]. I think people need to focus more on the safety,” Officer Hahn said. “Just because your kid might be over 6 years old, 7, 8, 9, 10, it’s still not safe to leave them in the vehicle. And this temperature outside, this temperature gauge on my smartphone reads 91 degrees, but it feels like 88 degrees.”
But it didn’t take long for the red arrow on an analog thermometer KRON4 placed on the dashboard inside its car to shoot higher than its top temperature of 120 degrees, while parked in the full sun.