A one-year-old baby tragically died outside of a hospital after being left in a hot car for nine long hours.
According to reports, the foster mother returned to work in the morning at Good Samaritan Hospital in Washington.
But after a nine-hour shift, she was shocked to see the child still inside the car and immediately took her inside the hospital. Sadly, the child could no longer be resuscitated.
Police told PEOPLE that the child’s foster mother, who is a social worker at the Washington hospital, forgot about the child when she returned to work.
“The child was unresponsive and they attempted life-saving measures,” Payullup Police Captain Don Bourbon said.
The foster mom was reportedly in distress when she realized what had happened. She and her husband are said to be cooperating with the police as they make further investigations.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the hospital said: “A tragic incident took place at the Good Samaritan campus Wednesday involving an employee and their child.
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.”
The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said that they will wait for the results of the investigation before making any decisions.
“We all are hectic in our lives. We all have a lot going on,” Bourbon said. “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.”
The Seattle Fire Department also said that people should be extra careful during hot days. “Leaving a small child or pet in a car alone is never a good idea.
“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.”
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