On August 13th, a tragic incident occurred in the United States where a 6-year-old girl in Tennessee and a 10-month-old baby in Kentucky died of heatstroke after being left in a car, marking the 19th and 20th cases of children dying from heatstroke in a car in the US in 2026.
In Tennessee’s Memphis on that day, authorities found Winter Jones, the 6-year-old girl, still inside a school bus parked at a daycare facility. The temperature outside was around 97 degrees Fahrenheit (about 36 degrees Celsius). Sadly, she passed away after being taken to the hospital.
It was revealed that Winter’s father had dropped her off at the daycare center in the morning, where the facility was responsible for transporting this child with autism to and from school. However, when the driver returned to the daycare’s parking lot after dropping students at school that morning, they did not realize the girl was still in the bus until staff were preparing to pick up students after school in the afternoon.
On the same day, in Madisonville, Kentucky, an infant named Scottie Crowell was forgotten in a car by her grandmother and tragically died. In the morning, the grandmother, who was a doctor, picked up Scottie from her daughter’s house with the intention of taking her to daycare but ended up going directly to work at the clinic. It was only in the late afternoon that Scottie’s father went to pick her up from daycare, only to be informed that the child had never arrived. When the grandmother received a call from her daughter, she rushed to the parking lot, but sadly, the baby had already passed away in the car.
Chloe Burke, the data manager at the nonprofit organization “KidsAndCars.org” advocating for child car safety, spoke to local media, highlighting that leaving a child in a car, although unimaginable, is a reality that could happen to anyone and is a failure of human memory rather than a lack of love or care.
Every year in the US, nearly 40 children die from heatstroke in hot cars, with the most common months being the summer months of June, July, and August.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over half of child heatstroke deaths occur when parents or caregivers have changes in their daily routine, such as the back-to-school period. During these changes, it is easier for people to forget that a child, especially a quiet sleeping infant, is still in the car.
NHTSA reminds parents to always follow the habit of “Stop, Look, Lock” – ensuring no child is left behind in the car after parking, locking the vehicle, and making sure the child cannot climb in on their own.
Health officials in San Diego County, California, also issued reminders on August 13th, as temperatures rise in summer and children return to school, emphasizing the importance of checking the backseat to prevent tragedies of children being forgotten inside cars.
Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the county’s public health officer, stressed that leaving a child alone in the car, even for a short time, is never safe. Even cracking windows or parking in the shade is not sufficient, as cars can rapidly heat up like an oven, especially on mild-weather days.
Data from the NoHeatStroke.org website, maintained by meteorologist Jan Null from San Jose State University, depicts that temperatures inside cars can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius) on scorching summer days, 50 degrees higher than the outside temperature, with 80% of the temperature increase occurring within 30 minutes.
Even on days with milder weather such as 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), the temperature inside a car can rise to a dangerous 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) within an hour. If it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius) outside, the car temperature can skyrocket to 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6 degrees Celsius) within half an hour.
According to the tracking of child heatstroke cases in cars on NoHeatStroke.org, from 1998 to 2025, a total of 1,041 children died in hot cars across the US, averaging 37 deaths per year.
The statistics on the website reveal that approximately 53% of hot car deaths involve children being forgotten inside cars, 24% from children gaining access on their own, and 22% due to intentional actions by perpetrators, with 1% of cases having unknown reasons.
Most victims of hot car deaths are children under 5 years old, with infants under 1 year old accounting for 30%, 1 to 3-year-olds at 58%, 4 to 5-year-olds at 9%, and those over 5 years old at 4%.
As of August 14th this year, 20 children have tragically died in hot cars in the US.
In mid-May this year, a 4-year-old girl in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles died in a car due to being forgotten inside. The investigation results released on August 5th confirmed that the girl was left in the car. A shared transportation van driver who was supposed to take her to preschool after dropping students off at school forgot about her. It was only when the girl’s mother arrived at the preschool to pick her up that she realized her child was missing. By then, the child had tragically passed away in the van.
Authorities urge the public that if they find a child alone in a hot car, immediate action could save a life. Actions that can be taken include calling 911 to report the situation, seeking help from nearby people, locating the driver if possible, and if necessary, breaking the car window farthest from the child to rescue them. Afterward, the child should be moved to a cool place and cooled down with water or airflow.