A three-year-old child has died after being left in a car in Sydney’s southwest.
The Guardian reported that the toddler was left in the vehicle as it reached a scorching 34 degrees Celsius outside a shopping strip near Railway Parade in Glenfield.
Witnesses saw a distraught man, believed to be the father, punching the rear window before dragging the child out.
Emergency services were called around 3pm to treat the boy, who died at the scene.
The man was then transported to Campbelltown police station, where he is assisting police.
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A crime scene has been established and an investigation is underway into why the child was left alone.
It comes four years after a one-year-old died after being left in a car for eight hours in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
The Orlando Sun-Sentinel reported that the child’s mother had driven to work and left the boy in the safety car seat when it reached 33 degrees Celsius.
Emergency services arrived at the scene around 5pm; however, tragically, their attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Pembroke Pines Police revealed Emily Bird, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, said that she thought she had dropped off her son, Eli, at daycare, not realising the child was in the car’s back seat.
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According to a report by the Department of Children and Families, the family had been staying with friends while their house was being tented, and the mother was under a lot of stress.
Pembroke Pines Police said the boy’s parents were not charged, as per ABC News.
‘Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles’ revealed that almost 1,000 children globally have died since record keeping began in 1998.
According to noheatstroke.org, the US has the most frequent deaths, while Australia is also affected due to its hot climate.
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Over the past five years, 10 children have died due to being left in a hot car, with half of those deaths occurring in Queensland, as per Kidsafe Australia.
Shockingly, over 5,000 Aussie children are rescued yearly after being in a hot vehicle.
Dr Sam Saling, who specialises in family care, told news.com.au: “Parents can get frazzled when running around doing school pick-ups, carpooling to extra-curricular activities and completing errands, and leaving a child in the car for just a minute can seem innocent.
“But leaving a child in the car on a hot day is one of the most dangerous, life-threatening things one can do.”
Charisa Bossinakis