Florida toddler dies in hot car while father leaves for haircut, drinks for over 3 hours, police say
Scott Allen Gardner, 33, is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Preventing hot car related deaths with children
The sweltering temperatures of summer act as a reminder to never leave a child inside a vehicle with the engine off for any amount of time.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man was arrested on Friday and charged with the death of his 18-month-old son, who he allegedly left in a hot truck for more than 3 hours, authorities said.
Scott Allen Gardner, 33, left his son Sebastian in a truck on June 6 at 11:30 a.m. while he went out to get a haircut and then drink beer and shots at a local bar, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
During this time, officials said Sebastian was in a rear-facing car seat in the truck with the windows of the vehicle rolled down and a battery-powered mini-fan blowing in his direction. The National Weather Service reported the high in nearby Daytona Beach that day was 92 degrees.
Sebastian.
(Volusia Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather)
At one point, Gardner stepped out of the bar to check on a fender-bender in the parking lot, and then returned to the lounge, but didn't check on his son, officials said.
A frantic Gardner later makes a 911 call, saying his son is not breathing, police said. First responders arrived to find the child unresponsive and took him to a Daytona Beach hospital where he was pronounced dead.
CHILDREN EXPERIENCE HEATSTROKE SYMPTOMS WITHIN MINUTES OF BEING IN A HOT CAR
Sebastian’s body temperature was measured at over 107 degrees, but medical officials estimate that his body temperature reached 111 degrees while inside the truck, according to officials.
Bodycam footage shared on Friday shows Gardner being arrested.
Gardner being arrested.
(Volusia Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather)
"I pray that his son is constantly in his vision asking him, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?,' " a visibly angry Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a press conference. "There is no logical reason why this little guy is dead."
"My God, all of us that are fathers and grandfathers and mothers, how in the world can you be so, just so messed-up that you would allow your child to sit back there in Florida in 90-degree weather, walk outside and check on some car and never go near your son? Never," Chitwood added. "I don’t think there’s a penalty on this Earth that could ever fit for the crime that was committed here."
Gardner is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.