CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – A 1-year-old child tragically died Tuesday in the state of Texas after being left inside a hot vehicle.
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The child’s death marks the 24th child to die due to heatstroke in a car nationwide this year, with four additional cases under investigation pending autopsy results.
Additionally, this incident marked Texas’ second hot car death of the year as temperatures continue to rise across the state.
The death took place in Corpus Christi which saw a high of 101°F Tuesday. In the Houston area, residents experienced the hottest day of the year on the same day of this incident.
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Since 1991, Texas has recorded at least 157 child fatalities due to hot cars, the highest in the country. Nationwide, 1,108 children have died in hot cars since 1990, with another 7,500 surviving with various injuries, according to data from Kids and Car Safety.
Alarmingly, 88% of these victims were 3 years old or younger, and 55% were unintentionally left behind by otherwise responsible caregivers.
The group says that as these deaths persist, there is technology that can prevent these unthinkable tragedies.
In Nov. 2021, a provision was passed as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a regulation by Nov. 2023 for technology in all new cars to help prevent hot car deaths. The final ruling is nearly a year overdue from the Congressionally-mandated deadline.
SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about keeping children out of hot cars
This past June, Kids and Car Safety, along with grieving families and safety advocates, held a demonstration in Washington, DC, displaying over 1,080 infant onesies to symbolize the children lost to hot car deaths since 1990.