Child perishes subsequent to California mother abandoning him in vehicle while she obtains lip injections on a 101-degree day, according to authorities.
In a tragic incident that highlights the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles, a California mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
Clara Hernandez, also known as Maya Hernandez, is accused of leaving her children in her car without air conditioning for approximately one and a half hours, from around 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The engine of her car was turned off during this time, potentially causing the internal temperature to rise to dangerously high levels.
The incident resulted in the death of a baby named Amillio Gutierrez, who was left in the car for 90 minutes on a day when the temperature reached 101 degrees in Bakersfield, California. Another child, a 2-year-old, was admitted to the hospital with a 99-degree temperature but was able to eat and drink fluids after the initial health assessment. The child has since been placed in protective custody.
The mother is said to have prioritized her appearance over the safety of her children, with reports suggesting that she left her children in the car because she was concerned about the length of time her procedure would take. She has pleaded not guilty and is being held in custody with a bail of $1,080,000.
Cases of children left in hot cars resulting in death or injury are a recurring issue in California, as they are across the United States. On average, 38 children die in hot cars each year nationwide, with one child dying every nine days. In California specifically, there have been reported deaths this year, such as the case of a 1-year-old in Bakersfield.
Since 1990, at least 1,137 children have died in hot cars nationwide, with a significant portion being under the age of 3. The majority of these incidents occur due to children being unknowingly left behind by their caregivers. The risk of heatstroke increases rapidly, with temperatures inside vehicles rising by 20 degrees in just 20 minutes. The risk is heightened during the summer months when external temperatures are higher, but even moderate external temperatures can lead to dangerous conditions inside a vehicle.
It's important to note that children 2 and older are better able to regulate internal body temperature than babies, who do not have fully developed sweat glands. This makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of heatstroke.
In a related incident, another mother, Lacey Ana Mazzarella, passed out from drinking alcohol and her daughter died five hours later in a hot car in Bakersfield. However, this fact is not directly related to the main event and is not included in the bullet points for the article about Clara Hernandez.
Clara Hernandez's 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is equipped with an automatic feature that turns the engine off if it has been left running for one hour while in park. The mother is due back in court on a Friday.
[1] https://www.noheatstroke.org/statistics/ [2] https://www.kGET.com/news/local-news/bakersfield-mom-accused-of-leaving-baby-in-hot-car-while-she-went-to-medical-spa/article_4f42224a-5c1a-11ed-9b61-fbbb9d19bb9b.html [3] https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/child-passenger-safety/heatstroke/index.html
- The tragic incident involving Clara Hernandez, a California resident, is a sobering reminder of the dangers of child neglect, as she has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty for leaving her children in a hot car in Los Angeles.
- Alongside the general news and crime-and-justice categories, this incident also highlights the importance of health, safety, and responsible parenting, as the incident resulted in the death of baby Amillio Gutierrez and hospitalization of another child.
- As reported cases of children left in hot cars causing injury or death recur across California and the United States, it is crucial for parents and caregivers to be mindful of the life-threatening consequences that such negligence can have, especially during the hot summer months.
