1-year-old dies after being left in hot car in Washington state

PUYALLUP, Wash. (KING) - A 1-year-old child died after being left in a hot car in Puyallup, Washington.

Police said the child was in the vehicle while the foster mother went into work at a hospital’s social services program.

“This is a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family and those who, everyone who was affected by this,” Puyallup Police Capt. Don Bourbon said.

It happened Wednesday when police say the temperatures outside were in the 70s but topped 100 degrees inside the car.

Police said the mother offering foster care for the child became distracted and left them in her car as she went to work.

Hours later, she returned to the car and rushed the child into the hospital, but it was too late.

“As it does get warmer, lives are hectic right now with everything, a lot going on in everyone’s families and lives, and throughout the world. So it’s a good time to slow down and kind of take a double take and be aware of what we have around us and our families,” Bourbon said.

The hospital released a statement saying, “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.”