A Nebraska woman has been charged with child abuse after allegedly leaving her 3-month-old baby in a hot car while she went horseback riding at a county fair. Cara Dugan, 40, was arrested at the Merrick County Fairgrounds on August 24th following a report that an infant had been left in a pickup truck with the engine off and window partially open, according to the Merrick County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities found Dugan inside a building riding a horse while the temperature outside was around 90 degrees. Meanwhile, Edgar Estrada, a roping contestant at the fair, heard the baby crying and took action. He mounted his horse and searched the parking lot for the baby after not finding one in the stands or audience.
Estrada described how he listened for the sound of a crying baby and began weaving in and out of vehicles in the parking lot until he located the infant. He pried the window down and opened the door to rescue the baby, who was unattended in the car with the engine off and windows only partially open for a significant amount of time.
Law enforcement arrived at the scene and took the child to a local hospital, where it was determined that the baby did not sustain any injuries despite the outside temperature reaching 89-90 degrees. The child was placed in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Cases of children being left in hot cars have had tragic outcomes in the past. Just last week, a 9-month-old baby in Texas died after being left in a car for eight hours by the child’s grandmother, and another 22-month-old died in a hot car in a different part of the state. According to Kids and Car Safety, there have been at least 25 cases of children dying in hot cars this year alone.
This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles, especially in hot weather. It is crucial for caregivers to always double-check their surroundings and ensure the safety of children in their care to prevent such tragedies from occurring.
