The windows were broken into to rescue the baby, who was experiencing “heat-related illness.”
Madison Hart, 27, a Florida woman is in custody for leaving her toddler inside the car in the summer heat while she got drunk at a sports bar, reported PEOPLE.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed at a press conference that Hart has been charged with neglect of a child with great bodily harm for allegedly leaving her 1-year-old daughter in a hot car outside Tickets Sports Bar in Pensacola, Fla., on Sunday. "She showed up at the Tickets Sports Bar and stayed about 20 minutes," Simmons told reporters. "She tried to leave. The employees and some patrons at the Tickets Sports Bar were so concerned about her that they stopped her from leaving and called law enforcement."
Escambia County deputies had to break a window and rescue the 1-year-old after Madison Hart allegedly left the baby inside her car at Tickets Sports Bar. https://t.co/8XEmVRzjHn
— WEAR ABC 3 (@weartv) June 27, 2022
When asked how she got to the bar, Hart told deputies she was given a ride to the bar. Hart didn’t mention that she drove herself and her 1-year-old baby girl to the bar, who had been left inside the car, according to Simmons. After deputies took Hart to a medical facility, a family member told deputies that she had a child. Deputies drove back to the bar and found the child inside the car. The windows were broken into to rescue the baby, who was experiencing “heat-related illness.” Outside temperatures reached 88 degrees that day, according to reports.
The baby, who authorities believe was in the hot car for over an hour, is expected to make a full recovery.
"Clearly, she had no concern for her 1-year-old," Simmons said. Escambia County jail records indicate Hart is being held on a $15,000 bond. It wasn't immediately clear if she entered a plea to the charge or retained an attorney to comment on her behalf.
This year, six kids have died after being left in a hot car – with two deaths this week.
— Sutton Dunnavant (@suttondunnavant) June 30, 2022
That’s why local leaders are speaking out on the dangers of hot cars and kids and why parents shouldn’t say this wouldn’t happen to them.
FULL STORY: @NBC24WNWO https://t.co/ll4OFqL8ge pic.twitter.com/iCeps8A8dg
Hart is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.
Another similar incident took place on Jun 20, 2022 when a five-year-old child died of heatstroke in Texas after he was left in the car for "several hours" while the family prepared for his older sister's birthday party.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Amanda Means returned home with her two children in the backseat of her car and assumed that Trace had gotten out after seeing his sister hop out. Between two and three hours later, she realized that Trace was missing and ran outside to find her son still strapped into a child safety seat in the back of the car.
We all have a responsibility to prevent deaths in hot cars.
— TxDPS - Southeast Texas Region (@TxDPSSoutheast) June 30, 2022
Remember, children are more vulnerable to heatstrokes; their body temperature rises faster than adults.
Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle when exiting.
For more please visit:https://t.co/ITrS8iRWa4 pic.twitter.com/jJvRQXNnHq
The mother told police that her son typically knows how to unbuckle himself and exit the car, but the car he died in was a loaner vehicle, Gonzalez said. She has not been charged in the tragic incident, but the sheriff’s office is still investigating.
According to NSC, on an average 38 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. Nearly every state has experienced at least one death since 1998. In both 2018 and 2019 a record number of 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle. In 2022, there have been six cases of a child dying in the car due to heat exposure so far.
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