Kaufman 9-month-old recovering after left in hot car
Kaufman police say a 9-month-old baby boy left in a hot car Friday morning is very lucky and expected to survive.
When the police captain first to arrive on the scene, he said the little boy's skin was so hot, it almost burned his hands.
Police say 9-month-old "Alexander's" family was holding a garage sale. His grandmother, who was taking care of him, forgot him in the car.
Kaufman Police Captain Ed Black said he was finishing up some paperwork at his desk around 11:30 in the morning when he heard a dispatch radio call that sent him running out the door. It was for a 9-month-old boy who had been left in a hot car for possibly up to an hour.
“I was praying the whole way, ‘Let us get there on time,’” Black said.
The police captain drove up to the home on Melody Circle and heard screaming and crying coming from inside the house. It was the baby's grandmother, who was holding him.
“I never held a baby that was this hot, it almost burned my hands,” said Black. “And that's when I really got scared.”
Black told the baby's relatives to get some cold towels to wrap around Alexander's body. It helped.
“Just as I was fixing to start CPR, little guy opened his eyes. I can't tell you the feeling,” Black said. “We got lucky this time.”
According to investigators, Alexander’s grandmother was taking care of the boy while his mom was at work and left him in the car parked in the driveway.
The boy's great grandfather, who only spoke Spanish, said it was a mistake.
“She left him in the car. She forgot,” Emilio Vasquez said. “It was for just a little while, but the Sun was strong.”
Neighbor John Brewer said the family was having a garage sale when the police and ambulance pulled up. Detectives want to know what caused grandma to simply forget her grandson.
Black was so distraught about this call, he posted a message on the Kaufman Police Department Facebook page, telling people "we have got to stop forgetting our children are in the back seat."
Alexander was rushed to a Dallas hospital but was released after a few hours.
Black said the grandmother could face an endangering or injury to a child charge, depending on the extent of the baby's injuries. He was rushed to a Dallas hospital but was released after a few hours.