A one-year-old tragically passed away after being left in a hot car outside of a hospital for hours.
The foster mother of the child who was left in a vehicle was on the way to work in the morning at a local Washington hospital when she allegedly forgot that her baby was in the back seat.
Upon her return after a nine-hour shift, she reportedly discovered the one-year-old and quickly rushed the toddler to the hospital, but unfortunately, they could not be revived.
Speaking to PEOPLE about the incident, police said that the child’s foster mother forgot about the toddler in the car when she arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington last Wednesday - a day when the area's temperature was approximately between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, when officials arrived at the scene, the internal temperature of the car was around the 110 mark.
Puyallup Police Captain Don Bourbon told the outlet that "the child was unresponsive and they attempted life-saving measures."
The foster mother, who is a social worker at the hospital, was said to be distressed upon discovering what had happened and she and her husband are now cooperating with the police as they conduct an investigation into the matter.
"A tragic incident took place at the Good Samaritan campus Wednesday involving an employee and their child," the hospital said in a statement to PEOPLE. "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."
So far, no charges have been filed though the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office stated that they will wait until the investigation has been concluded to make any further decisions.
"We all are hectic in our lives," Bourbon said. "We all have a lot going on. And this unfortunate situation is that, hopefully it reminds us to take a step back and slow down and just make sure that we are taking care of our families and taking care of each other."
As per the Seattle Fire Department, people should be more careful on hot days, especially when it comes to leaving children in vehicles due to the speed at which it can heat up.
"Leaving a small child or pet in a car alone is never a good idea," they advised. "It’s especially dangerous on sunny days. It doesn’t have to be a hot day for the temperature inside of a car to reach high enough temperatures to cause heat stroke. Heat stroke can cause serious damage to the brain and other organs."
They also added that "young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult's."
Our thoughts are with the family affected by this unfortunate tragedy.
