Hot Cars and Children’s Heatstroke, a Deadly Combo

When a 7-month-old died in an overheated car in Georgia last week, he became the latest in what has become a tragic rite of summer.

Rhae Odum, 28, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after leaving her son in the car in a hotel parking lot.

Unfortunately, this story isn’t an unusual one. According to NoHeatstroke.org, 760 children have died of heatstroke in cars since 1998. In over half of the cases, the child was left in the vehicle by accident.

According to the website, nearly 74% of the deaths have been in children ages 2 and younger. More than half the time the child is forgotten by a caregiver, but other situations are common:

54% - child forgotten by caregiver
27% - child playing in unattended vehicle
18% - child intentionally left in vehicle by adult
1% - circumstances unknown

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