2 Alabama toddlers die after climbing into hot car, police say

Two Alabama toddlers died Saturday after they climbed into a vehicle outside their home and were locked inside it for more than an hour, authorities said.

The boys, ages 3 and 1, had apparently gone outside their Montevallo home and climbed into the vehicle, Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans told AL.com. Evans said the boys’ parents were unaware the children had gotten out of the home and called the incident “unfortunately just a tragic accident,” according to WIAT.

According to Evans, the boys managed to enter the vehicle shortly after 1 p.m., when temperatures in the area had climbed past 90 degrees. Family members searched for the children and finally found them unresponsive in the vehicle at about 3:30 p.m., AL.com reported. Both boys were later pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Evans said autopsies would be performed Monday.

It was the second time this week children in Alabama died after being discovered in a hot car, AL.com reported. Last Sunday, 3-year-old Bentley Fowler in Hodges was declared dead after being found in a vehicle. At the time, Fowler was the 15th child to die in hot cars in the U.S. this year, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Cox Media Group