A toddler was left behind accidentally in a locked rental car when it was returned by her grandfather to a central Florida airport, and she wasn’t discovered by an employee until 45 minutes later, authorities said Tuesday.
The girl, who is less than two years old, was found in a car in the return lot by a Hertz employee at Daytona Beach International Airport Monday evening, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
“The child was scared and hot, but thankfully in good health when checked by paramedics,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Deputies arrived to find the employee carrying the child, whose face was warm and streaked with dried tears, but was breathing normally.”
Not long after the toddler was discovered, her mother called to say that her father had left her daughter accidentally in the rental car while babysitting her and that she was on her way to be reunited with her daughter, the sheriff’s office said.
The grandfather was charged with one count of child neglect.
The grandfather “was remorseful and cooperative with deputies,” the sheriff’s office said.
Nationwide, more than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1990. That’s an average of 38 fatalities per year. The number is also alarming for animals forgotten in cars. It is a tragic reminder. Officials say this tragedy can and has happened to even the best of parents or caregivers who unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car.
