Bexar County Deputy Fired After Leaving Infant Son in Hot Vehicle

According to a San Antonio Express-News report, a Bexar County Deputy was dismissed after forgetting his infant son in a hot vehicle.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office reported that Almaraz was taking the baby to a routine pediatrics appointment at 9 a.m. He returned home at around 10 a.m., turned off his vehicle, and left the baby inside. The baby was discovered unresponsive at around 1 p.m. and is currently in hospital in critical condition. Almaraz was charged with injury to a child, endangering a child, and abandoning a child.

Did You Know?

When the temperature outside is 80°, a car can heat up to 120° within 1 hour.

How to Prevent San Antonio Child Heat Deaths

Children die in hot cars across Texas far too often — Texas leads the nation with the most child heat deaths from hot cars between 1990 and 2022. These deaths are usually an accident, and they are entirely preventable. This post will cover why these deaths happen and how to keep your children safe from heat deaths in San Antonio.

Leading Causes of Child Heat Deaths in San Antonio

Most child heat deaths are not intentional — only 15% nationwide between 1990 and 2022 were reported to be intentional acts of abandonment. Most of the time, parents simply forget they have a child with them and accidentally leave them in the vehicle.

Forgetfulness and Distraction

According to data gathered by MedStar, 55% of child heat deaths were because the parent or caregiver simply forgot the child was with them in the vehicle. This normally occurs when the parent or caregiver who doesn’t normally have the child takes them to daycare before work and forgets to drop them off.

Preventing forgetfulness and distraction is the best way to keep your child safe from being left alone in a hot vehicle. Here are some tips from experts on what to do the next time you have an infant in the vehicle with you.

• Create a Reminder — Siri and Google can remind you to check for children in the back seat, as do some newer vehicles. You should leave your bag or phone in the back seat so you have to look in the back before you leave.
• Ask the Daycare to Call You — If you’re supposed to drop your kid off, ask the daycare to call you if your child is late.

Child Sneaks Into Vehicle

About 25% of cases are a result of a child intentionally entering a hot vehicle. To prevent this, caregivers should:

• Hide car keys and store them out of reach of children.
• Keep vehicles locked at all times.
• Teach children not to play in cars.
• Check the truck 1st if your child goes missing.

Caregivers who leave their child alone in a vehicle can face criminal charges. Longer travel distances and hotter climates put San Antonio parents at greater risk of forgetting their children. Follow the above tips and check out the resources at the end of this post to keep your family safe for the rest of this heat.

Child Injury Attorneys in San Antonio

If your child was injured because of someone’s negligent actions, we can help. The Carabin Shaw Law Firm has represented San Antonio parents with injured kids for 30 years. Whether at school, daycare, or in an auto accident, we can help you file your personal injury claim. Contact our team today at 800-862-1260 for a free case evaluation. We look forward to serving you.

¹San Antonio Express-News Report

²Hyperthermia Flyer

³Child Deaths Data