Hamlet fatality mentioned in insurance commissioner's warning of vehicular heatstroke

HAMLET — Several state agencies have issued warnings this week regarding safety in the summer heat, especially when it comes to dangers of being left in a vehicle.

In a public service announcement issued July 3, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey referenced a 7-month-old girl in Hamlet as one of the 12 North Carolina children who died within the first six months of the year from vehicular heatstroke.

Police said the child was left inside a van “for an unknown period of time” on Monday, June 9. When police arrived, they said the child was unresponsive and later died at the hopsital.

The foster mother, Djuna Tillman Bostick, is  charged with negligent child abuse with serious physical injury and involuntary manslaughter. Court records show Bostick was indicted by a grand jury on those charges June 23.

Earlier this week, another Hamlet mother was charged with three counts of misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly leaving three children in a vehicle without the air conditioner running.

Citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Causey said an average of 37 U.S. children die each year from being left alone inside a hot vehicle.

“In just 10 minutes, the interior of a car can rise by 20 degrees—creating a dangerously lethal environment,” Causey said.

“This summer has been hotter than normal in North Carolina, and it only takes a few minutes for temperatures inside your car to reach dangerous levels,” Causey said. “It is an important reminder that leaving a child, vulnerable adult or pet unattended in a car, even for a few minutes, can be more dangerous than people realize.”

In 2022, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office set up a display showing the disparity in temperatures between the outside and inside a vehicle.

The digital display showed the outside temperature was 86.2 degrees Fahrenheit around 2 p.m. Inside the car, however, it was 116 — a difference of roughly 30 degrees. That was on a cloudy day.

Causey referenced other recent events, including a child in Greensboro who was taken to a hospital and a dog that died in Moore County, both after being left in a hot vehicle. The commissioner also mentioned a caretaker in Johnston County who was charged with manslaughter last year after a man with special needs was found dead in a vehicle.

“These deaths are largely preventable,” Causey said. “We must take every possible precaution to avoid such unnecessary tragedies.”

Causey offers the following tips referred to as the ACT method — an acronym for “Avoid, Create and Take action”:

• Avoid heatstroke-related injuries and deaths by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside so kids can’t get inside on their own.
• Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or something in your child’s car seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat when your child is in the car. That gives you a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Place something that you’ll need to take with you, such as your cell phone, briefcase or purse, in the back seat when traveling with your child.
• Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations

“Employing these safe practices will keep older adults, children and pets safe during the summer months,” Causey said.