3-Year-Old Dies, Was Left Inside Bus After Field Trip In Texas

A 3-year-old boy died after being left on a bus following a field trip with his day care in northwest Harris County Texas Thursday.

The child was discovered unresponsive inside the bus outside the day care after his father arrived to pick him up at 6:30 p.m. local time (7.30 p.m. EDT). Investigators say the child was inside the hot day care van for over three hours.

Deputies with the Precinct One Constable’s Office said 28 students were taken to Doss Park for a field trip earlier in the day by bus and they returned to the day care around 3 p.m. local time ( 4 p.m. EDT).

The temperature inside the bus was around 113 degrees Fahrenheit at the time the deputies reached the scene. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the bus and a chaperone were detained for questioning.

"It seems to me this was just gross negligence," said Constable Alan Rosen adding "It's just tragic,” ABC 13 reported.

“Constable Rosen urges you to consider this case a tragic reminder of the potential danger inherent with summer weather in the Houston-area and implores parents and caregivers to remember to take a look around their vehicle before leaving it,” a press statement read.

“Do something that always reminds you that you have a loving package in the backseat of that car,” Rosen said.

Houston Police Department is investigating the incident and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether criminal charges need to be filed after the investigation. The details of the child have not been revealed.

In an unrelated incident in May, a 1-year-old died after her father left the car in the family's driveway with the daughter still in it before heading to catch a flight in Nashville, Tennessee. He intended to drop her off at the day care.

His wife left to work in another car thinking the girl was at the day care. She telephoned her husband and realized the child was still in the car. She returned and removed the baby from the car. She was immediately transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The temperature inside the car was nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit. No charges were filed against the parents.

According to a CNN report, an average of 37 children die each year in hot cars which include instances of children being forgotten inside in a car or children accidentally locking themselves inside. As of July 1, 2018, 18 children have already died this year in hot car death incidents.

Children are more susceptible to heat stroke as body temperatures raise 3-5 times faster than adults. Heat stroke can occur even when the windows are down as the temperature of a car can climb 20 degrees in 10 minutes.