Baby dies after being rescued from car at Waffle House
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin police are investigating the death of a baby boy at a Waffle House location in Southeast Austin.
Police were called out to 7809 E Ben White Blvd. around 2:45 p.m. after receiving a call about a 10-month old boy found unconscious and not breathing inside an unlocked car. Police said Waffle House employees saw the child and were able to get him out before they arrived. The car was not running, the boy was in the back seat.
Heat is being examined as a factor of the boy’s death.
“With the heat like it is, going through this heatwave, it only takes the temperature in a car 10 minutes to rise 20 to 30 degrees,” said Austin police Corporal Chad Martinka. “With it being in the upper 90s right now, you can only imagine that car in 10, 20, 30 minutes.”
Austin-Travis County EMS said the baby was not in the car when they arrived at the scene. They were unable to revive the boy.
A man at the scene who was acting distraught was questioned. It’s unknown if he was related to the boy or was a diner in the restaurant.
The temperature at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 2:30 p.m. Thursday was 98 degrees with a heat index of 106.