1-year-old Riverton boy left in car for hours, expected to survive


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RIVERTON — A 1-year-old boy has been upgraded from critical condition and is expected to survive after police say he was left in a hot car for more than two hours Sunday.

Unified police reported that the boy was found in a car outside a home, 4916 W. Kessler Peak Drive, about 3 p.m. It was more than 150 degrees inside the car when the child was found still strapped in his car seat in the back of the vehicle, Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell said.

The boy's mother had come home from church services because she was feeling sick and went into the house, Bell said. The woman's husband and their other children came home about 2 1/2 hours later and discovered the boy was still outside.

The boy's internal temperature was 105 degrees when he was found, Bell said.

He was transported by ambulance to Riverton Hospital and taken by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital, where he was upgraded to fair condition.

The boy's name was not immediately released Sunday.

Police don't expect charges to be filed, Bell said. Instead, the frightening incident serves as a cautionary tale about safety just as summer temperatures are beginning to rise.

"It's a reminder to everyone, I hope, to check and double-check," Bell said. "Two-and-a-half hours in this kind of heat, it's absolutely amazing to me that this child is going to be OK."

As the boy received medical treatment Sunday afternoon, Bell reiterated the advice police often give at this time of year: Always check the back seat when you reach your destination, make children and pets the first things you unload from you car rather than groceries or other items, and never assume you can get back to the car fast enough to leave a child or animal behind when shopping or doing other errands.

Bell also emphasized that cracking a window won't make enough of a difference to make it safe to leave a child or pet in the car.

Unified police generally receive a few calls each week from people reporting children or animals alone in cars, especially at grocery stores, Bell said. In many instances the driver will return about the same time that police arrive.

According to Bell, police always welcome calls warning them about hat car safety concerns. It's far better than the alternative, he said.

"We don't know about it unless somebody tells us," Bell said. "You just don't know how quickly it's going to get too hot in that car. … In my opinion, that is your business (to call police) as a responsible member of society, if you see something like that where a child could be endangered, or a pet."

Additionally, leaving a child or animal in a car in dangerous conditions is against the law, Bell said.

In the case of the young Riverton boy, police don't see evidence of negligence or malice, Bell said, but rather an example of how easy it is to become distracted and leave a child or pet behind in the car.

"She was physically ill," Bell said. "It's probably better served as a cautionary tale."

Contributing: Ashley Moser

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