Child remains in serious condition after being found in car in Newport
AN eight-year-old boy who hid in the back of his family car in Newport and was found unresponsive in sweltering heat hours later remains in a serious condition.
VIC News
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AN eight-year-old boy who hid in the back of his family car and was found unresponsive in sweltering heat hours later remains in a serious condition.
The boy’s mother had dropped her kids at St Margaret Mary’s Primary School in Spotswood on Monday morning.
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But she didn’t realise her son had climbed into the rear of the mini-van.
She drove less than four kilometres to work, at Newport Gardens Primary, and parked the black Kia Carnival about 100m from the school.
Hours later, at about 2.45pm, she found her son unresponsive in the car on Maddox Rd.
Emergency services were called just before 3pm.
The mercury had hit 32C that afternoon.
But temperatures inside a vehicle can double that of the outside air in minutes.
The boy was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital and remained in a serious condition on Tuesday night.
Victoria Police is now treating the incident as an accident after an investigation by local detectives.
Clothing believed to belong to the 8-year-old boy who was rushed to hospital after being found in a car. The young boy remains in a critical condition in Newport this afternoon. More @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/lpLFpW62ac
— Ryan Tennison (@ryan_tennison) November 13, 2017
The homicide squad had assisted after being notified according to police protocol.
Children and staff of St Margaret Mary’s, where the family’s kids attend, were being offered counselling.
Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Stephen Elder said support was available.
“Counselling is being made available to students and staff at St Margaret Mary’s Spotswood after an incident yesterday when a member of the school family was found in a car,” he said.
The Department of Education released a statement saying support and counselling was being offered to the child’s family and those affected by the tragedy.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time,” a spokesman said.
On average, four Victorian kids are left in hot cars a day with 1562 calls made to paramedics last year to rescue or treat children.
Temperature inside a vehicle can heat up to more than double the outside air temperature within minutes.
In summer, it can be up to 30C hotter than outside.
Nearby residents told the Herald Sun they did not recognise the Kia.
“It’s just a very sad situation,’’ one said.
“I can’t imagine what the parents would be going through. It’s sad whichever way it happened — especially when kids are involved.”
Local detectives were called in to investigate, assisted by the homicide squad, who were notified in accordance with police protocol.
Newport local Wendy Kostraby, warned leaving a child in a car could cause medical damage in just a short time.
As a young mum, she left her son in a car for five minutes to run into a shop, and came back to find him having a febrile convulsion.
“I feel sorry for the parents. You forget just how hot it can get in the car. It can be fatal if you aren’t careful.”
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