Medina mother warns others about dangers of leaving children in hot car

MEDINA, Ohio - Nearly 50 children die every year in the United States after being left in hot car.

A Medina Mother whose 9-month old son died after accidentally being left in a hot vehicle is talking about the tragedy and hoping her story will save lives.

"To have these pictures of him, and not have him. He would be this 10-year-old boy. It's very difficult," Melody Costello said.

In July of 2002, her husband Todd Costello drove to work with thier 9-month old son Tyler in the back seat.

He was going to drop the baby off at a sitter's home.

"He went straight to work forgetting he had Tyler, because he never had Tyler," she said.

The little boy was found three hours later dead of hyperthermia.

Reports showed the temperature in the car was 108 degrees.

"There was just no way to save him. His body had shut down," she said.

After the accident, the couple began a healing process that may last for the rest of their lives.

They said part of that process is talking to other parents.

"Our mission is to make parents realize it can happen to them, one simple change can result in this," she said.

The couple is working with University Hopsital's Safe Kids Coalition.

A group that works to prevent unintended injuries in kids 0-14.

"We want to give parent's tools so this does not happen to them. Put a purse in that backseat or a briefcase or your lunch so it forces you to go to the backseat. Set a cell phone alert on your phone that says, have you taken so and so to daycare yet," said Mandy Thomas of University Hopsital's Safe Kids Coalition

They also recommend the teddy bear test. Keep a bear or stuffed animal in the car seat and when you put your child in, but the bear up front. That way, the stuffed animal serves as a reminder when the bear is in the front, your baby is in the back.

"These are simple things you can do to make sure this never happens," Thomas said.

"We don't want another family to go through what we went through," Costello said. "We should have been planning a first birthday party. We were planning a funeral."

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