Infant hospitalized after being forgotten by dad in car

Baby in serious condition after being left in car for nearly 3 hours; police warn parents about dangers of absent mindedness during summer.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Magen David Adom ambulances 311 (photo credit: Reuters)
Magen David Adom ambulances 311
(photo credit: Reuters)
A seven-month old baby girl is in serious condition in the hospital after being left by her father in a car for almost three hours on Thursday.
The father told police he had been driving his daughter to nursery school, when he received an urgent call from his work place instructing him to arrive at the office near Petah Tikva.
RELATED:Keep children safe during their summer vacationHe continued talking on the phone as he exited the car and forgot his young daughter in the car, police believe.
After almost three hours, the father returned to the car with the intention of heading to a work meeting, and found the baby unconscious, and suffering from convulsions and symptoms of heat stroke. 
Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the scene and carried out first aid steps aimed at stabilizing the baby's condition, including bringing down her body temperature and hooking her up to an oxygen tank.
She was then rushed to the Schneider Medical Center in Petah Tikva, where doctors administered fluids and medicines. The hospital said the baby remains in serious condition.
Both parents remained close to the baby in hospital, and police have chosen not to take the father away from her bedside during this traumatic period.
A full investigation into the circumstances of the incident will, however, take place.
"We call on parents to make sure they guard against absent mindedness that can lead to babies being left in cars," a police spokesman told The Jerusalem Post.
"Anyone left in a sealed off car in the summer can begin feeling suffocated within minutes," the spokesman warned.
Magen David Adom head Eli Bin said in a statement, "Every summer we see difficult cases like this. I implore parents to pay more attention to the presence and condition of children during the summer months, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future."