A 22-month-old child has died after being accidentally left in a locked car for over eight hours.
The tragic incident occurred in Atlanta on Wednesday and according to Cobb County Police Department, the child’s Dad was due to drop the toddler off at day care centre, but instead drove to work forgetting that he was in the car.
The man returned to his vehicle over eight hours later and began his journey home only to realise that the child remained strapped into the car seat and was now unresponsive.
Witness Dale Hamilton told Eyewitness News 3 that he saw the father stop in the Akers Mill Square shopping centre car park and straddle two lines of traffic while he frantically attempted to provide CPR on his child.
“He hopped out of his car. I didn’t know what he was doing at the time,” Hamilton explained.
“But, he eventually pulled the child out of the car seat. I guess he was trying to un-restrain him. He pulled him out of the car seat, laid him on the ground and was trying to resuscitate him.”
Others tried to aid the man in his efforts to resuscitate the toddler but it was sadly too late.
Hamilton also reported that the scene was extremely difficult to watch as the distressed father “was constantly saying, ‘what have I done, what have I done.'”
Temperatures reached 90 degrees that afternoon and authorities believe that temperatures in the car may have soared to 130-140 degrees within a few hours.
The distraught man had to be restrained at the scene because he was in so much distress.
No charges have been filed against the father, however police have said pending an investigation outcome he may face a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
