BABY ‘DIED AFTER SHE WAS LEFT IN CAR BY ACCIDENT’

Gardaí examining whether father forgot that his daughter was still in vehicle as he worked

A BABY died in a devastating accident yes- terday after being left in a car by mistake for a number of hours, on the hottest day of the year. The seven-month-old girl is believed to have been in the back seat for up to four hours.

When her father discovered her he could get no response so he called for help and a local family doctor raced to the scene in the village of Dundrum, Co. Tipperary.

Immediately after the GP saw the baby and heard what had happened, an emergency air ambulance was called and the little girl was airlifted to Limerick University Hospital emergency department where surgeons frantically fought to save her life. However,

the baby was tragically declared dead at around 5pm yesterday. Her parents were said to be ‘inconsolable’ last night.

The little girl, who was the couple’s only child, spent up to ‘four hours’ in the family car in yesterday’s sweltering heat.

Although temperatures started at around 16C in the morning, they soared to 20C by midday, in that area, and 21C by afternoon.

It is understood gardaí are investigating the possibility that the father had forgotten to drop the baby off at her crèche and that he didn’t realise she was still in the car when he arrived at work.

However, the specific details of how the tragedy took place remained unclear last night.

A friend of the couple, who married in August 2015, said last night: ‘They are inconsolable.’

A resident in Dundrum, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I understand from what I have heard that she was in the car for a number of hours, possibly four.

‘They are a lovely family and would be very well known in the local area. This is just devastating as you can imagine for the family,’ the resident added.

A Garda spokesman described the incident as ‘a personal tragedy’ and added that it was a ‘very sensitive’ case.

They have been liaising with family members since the incident.

‘It’s an awful tragedy,’ said former Fine Gael TD Tom Hayes, who lives in the nearby village of Golden.

‘It’s just so sad. The whole area is in shock,’ said Fianna Fáil county councillor from Cashel, Roger Kennedy. He described the couple whose child in the appalling tragedy, as ‘a popular, well-known family’ .

He added that they are very involved in the local community. ‘There is total sadness here,’ he added. Sinn Féin councillor Martin Browne said that it was ‘the hottest day of the year so far’ in the area, which would have made conditions more difficult for the child in the car.

He said: ‘They are a very nice, very respectable family and it’s just a complete tragedy. I’m sure the whole community will rally around the family.’