Texas Boy Dies in Hot Car in Houston

As summer temperatures in Houston soar, Houston automobile accident lawyers know that precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of people traveling in motor vehicles. Air conditioning is a necessity in most Texas homes, apartment complexes, office buildings and is a standard option in most motor vehicles. There is frequently a lot of press in the summer months about not leaving animals in cars where they are prone to getting overheated and may die. Unfortunately children being left unattended in motor vehicles and dying due to the high temperatures is an increasing problem in Texas and across the United States.

In LaVernia in central Texas, a boy was found dead inside a vehicle on Sunday afternoon. This is the fourth child so far this summer to have died after being left in a motor vehicle. A three-year old boy was found dead in his family’s SUV in the driveway of the home, where the outside temperature at the time was 98 degrees.

LaVernia authorities reported that the boy’s father arrived home after church, and settled in for an afternoon nap with his son. Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold Zwicke believes that the child woke up from napping, went outside and somehow managed to get trapped inside the family’s SUV. “It is a nightmare. I can’t picture it happening, but unfortunately, it does happen” Zwicke commented. “They go to wake up the little boy from his nap, and found he was not inside the house. They went out looking and found him in one of the vehicles in the driveway”, Zwicke went on to say.

Texas has the most hot car deaths of any state in the nation, and has had four such deaths already this year. Children are especially vulnerable because a child’s body temperature climbs 3-5 times faster than does the body temperature of an adult, according to KidsAndCars.org. Babies and infants are even more vulnerable than toddlers and older children because of the size of their bodies. A baby may die in as little as 15 minutes even on a 75 degree day, which doesn’t seem to most people to be especially hot. The temperature inside a stagnant car parked in the sun can increase as much as 35 degrees in half an hour, even on a day that doesn’t feel terribly hot outside.

Texas Child Protective Services is investigating the case, but they suspect that the death is a heat-related accident, and that charges will not be filed. CPS in LaVernia also reports that they have no history with the family.

If someone you know has been the victim of a wrongful death case related to a hot car death, call Houston car accident lawyer Joe Stephens at 281-623-1701 today for a free consultation. Joe Stephens is a Houston personal injury attorney who is an expert in wrongful death cases, and will expertly handle every aspect of your case on both a professional and a personal level. Joe Stephens understands what a confusing, complex unimaginably horrific a wrongful death case can have on the impact of a family, and will be there to support you every step of the way. You may also fill out a contact form online, and member of The Stephens Law Firm will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your case and set up your free consultation. Contact Joe Stephens today to get the help and advice you need during this difficult time.