Burlington Reporter

As temperatures rise, so do dangers, especially when it comes to leaving children in unattended cars.

Lindsey Rogers-Seitz, of Wake County, had a child who died in a hot car several years ago when she and her family were living in Connecticut. She took a minute to remind people of the tragedy that can befall a family.

"You always struggle, and you always miss your loved ones and it's still difficult,” Seitz, whose husband left their child in a hot car, told Newsbreak. Even eight years later, the accidental death of her child haunts her.

“Whether my husband was tired or exhausted — not sure really how it happens, but it does happen,” she said. “It teaches you empathy and compassion and even though it's really hard to put yourself in someone's place try and understand that as humans we're imperfect and we have to live through our imperfections and live through them.”

Seitz made the point publicly Sunday, after Mebane police announced they were investigating a case in which a father left his 1-year-old in the car while he went inside a nearby building to work on Friday. The child was found unresponsive, and medics were not able to revive her.

The temperature inside a car typically gets about 40 degrees hotter than the outside temperature in the summer. Friday saw a high of around 90 degrees, which would have heated up the car to about 130.

After the Seitz tragedy, the family relocated to North Carolina, where they been promoting the warning in hopes of preventing more such misfortunes.

Seitz said a parent will never forget their child and will always wonder about what could have been.

"Benjamin had beautiful blue eyes and he had an infectious laugh and I'll never forget the weekend before he passed away, he said ‘Mom’ for the first time,” Seitz said. “I always miss him and love him but can use his name to make change in society and help other people.”

No charges have been filed in the Mebane case, and the names of those involved have not been released.