A Nebraska mom has been arrested after a passerby discovered her 3-month-old baby left alone in a hot car. The mother was riding a horse in a nearby building at the time. Minutes later, the mother, 40-year-old Cara Dugan, found herself in the custody of Merrick County sheriffs.
Afterward, cops took her to the Merrick County jail and booked her. Read on to find out why she abandoned her baby and how her actions can endanger the life of the baby.
Why Cops Arrested Cara Dugan
On Saturday, August 24, 2024, Cara Dugan parked her pickup truck near the Merrick County Fairgrounds. Interestingly, the car wasn’t empty. Her 3-month-old baby was lying in it. But Cara Dugan wanted a good time at the fair, free from her baby’s interference.
So she ventured into the playground, leaving her baby in the hot vehicle with temperatures at about 90F. Moments later, at about 1:30 p.m., passersby heard the baby’s cry inside the vehicle. One of them stepped closer and found the crying baby in the truck, with its windows partly open.
Also, the vehicle didn’t have its air conditioning turned on. Immediately, the rescuer alerted authorities, who took custody of the baby and went in search of its mother. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, cops found Dugan “inside of a building riding a horse.”
Meanwhile, local authorities examined the baby at a nearby hospital. Thankfully, medical staff found that the baby didn’t sustain any harm. Afterward, authorities handed the child over to the care of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. It will remain there until authorities decide to reunite it with its mother.
Who Found the Child?
The baby owes its rescue to the vigilance and quick thinking of Edgar Estrada. Estrada, who was a participant in the fair, was going about his activities when he heard the baby’s cry. Immediately, he mounted his horse and galloped through the parking lot trying to trace the source.
“I got on my horse to warm it up again, get ready and I started listening to the sounds of a baby crying,” Estrada narrated to journalists. “I instantly got on my horse and ran up and down the parking lot area where the vehicles were at and I was just weaving in and out looking for this crying baby,” he added.
After searching for about 10 minutes, Estrada found the baby in the vehicle. He then forced the window down and opened the door from the inside. Afterward, he called for help. Estrada’s intervention was timely and potentially life-saving. Many babies who suffered similar fate weren’t as lucky.
In mid-August, a 9-month-old baby lost its life in Texas after being abandoned in a hot car. Reports say the child’s grandmother left the child for 8 hours in the safety seat of the car. This incident came on the heels of the hot car death of a 22-month-old baby in another part of the state.
Cara Dugan Booked on One Count of Felony Child Abuse
Following her arrest, the Merrick County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that Cara Dugan would face a one-count charge of child abuse. The charge is a class 3A felony.
The county sheriff’s office has offered appreciation to the passerby who stopped to find the baby. Reports state that the rescuer searched multiple cars before finding the baby in Dugan’s truck. “Tragedy was most likely avoided thanks to their response and actions,” said the Sheriff’s office.
ALSO READ: Vanessa Morgan Reveals Her Baby Girl’s Name: “Beyond Grateful.”
What To Do if You See a Baby in a Hot Car?
According to Kids and Car Safety, over 1000 children have lost their lives to hot car accidents since 1990. To make matters worse, the United States is getting hotter yearly. This means there is a good chance that you could encounter a child in a hot car. If you do, there are a number of steps to take to save a life.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, invading someone else’s space should be one of the last things to worry about if you meet such situations. Life is paramount to any other consideration.
When you see a child in a hot car, the first thing to do is call 911. After that, get the child out of the vehicle. Before the emergency response team prepares to arrive at the scene, you could have saved the additional time it would have taken them to bring the child out.
Next, spray the child with cool water to bring down their temperature. If you find the child responsive, stay with them till authorities arrive.
Hot Car Deaths and How To Prevent Them
It is pretty easy to forget a child in a vehicle. Hot car deaths are becoming more common. Even the most loving parents get into such situations. So, it is crucial to put plans in place to avoid such unfortunate incidents. One way to do so is to create habits that make it easy to remember to leave the car with your child.
According to a Kids and Car Safety director, Amber Rollins, “Take a stuffed animal and keep it in your car seat. Any time you put the baby in your car seat, you move that animal up to the front seat with you as a visual reminder that the child is with you.”
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