SAN ANTONIO – May 25, 2011, is the day that began a "nightmare" for Austin residents Kristie Reeves-Cavaliero and her husband, Brett.
The couple lost the light of their lives, 1-year-old daughter, Sophia, who died after someone left her alone in a hot car for hours.
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The Cavalieros would not discuss details of the incident, which is still under investigation. However, they were anxious to speak through their grief about their little girl, in the hope of saving other children from the same fate.
"We had to do it for our daughter so that her death in this accident was not in vain," said Reeves-Cavaliero.
The Cavalieros shared their story as part of a news conference in San Antonio, aimed at driving home the message that people should never leave child alone in a car. Safe Kids San Antonio Coalition is heading up the campaign.
"Not only to not leave them alone knowing that they're in the car, but to make sure (parents) don't forget that they have a child in the car," said Wes Bender, with Safe Kids.
According to figures released by the coalition, which includes parents and business as well as medical experts, Texas has consistently led the nation for years when it comes to this type of death. With six deaths so far, the state appears headed to top the list again this year.
Among the local deaths are a 6-month-old New Braunfels girl whose mother accidentally left her in a hot car all day in March while she went to work inside the offices of the Herald-Zeitung newspaper, and a 3-year-old boy who climbed into his parents' SUV last month while they napped inside their home.
"It's a horrible tragedy and as we know it's 100 percent preventable," said Dr. Bryan Alsip, chief medical officer for the University Health System, which is part of the coalition.
Alsip said it doesn't take long for tragedy of this sort to strike. He said the inside of a vehicle can climb by up to 19 degrees in only ten minutes, creating a dangerous environment for a young child.
"It's very easy to approach conditions where the inside is making them susceptible to heat stroke or even fatal injury," Alsip said.
Experts said most deaths of this sort happen when the driver of the vehicle experiences a change in a regular routine. For example, it may involve a parent who does not usually drive a child to daycare forgetting to drop off the child.
To prevent tragedy, experts recommend creating some sort of reminder, such as placing a purse or cell phone on the back seat near the child.
"So when you get to that destination, you remember," said Bender. "You get that item and then you'll happen to see that child if you forgot to drop him off."
While the advice may be too late for Reeves-Cavaliero, she hopes other parents will heed it.
"We really need to get people to go back to basics and just stop and think for a minute what the potential devastating consequences are. "