CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NBC Charlotte is putting you alert as families hit the road for summer vacation, parents are forgetting babies in the backseat.
In the last two weeks, two infants have died in the Carolinas after being left in hot cars, the most recent tragedy, taking place over the weekend in Raleigh.
Officials say the Mussa‘s returned home after a family outing on Friday and forgot 7-month-old Hakeem, in the backseat.
"I was crying a lot because in this age, I never thought I'd have to deal with something like this,” Bilal Mussa, Hakeem’s 13-year-old brother.
Mussa said miscommunication led to his little brother being forgotten in the car.
"It was like 90 degrees outside and I had thought my Aunt was going to take him inside from where we had came from but she had thought that I was going to take him in but that had never been my responsibility because they usually have adults do it,” said the teenager as he fought back tears.
It happens more than you think. A little girl recently lost her life in Kentucky. A neighbor found her in the backseat and recalled the chilling details.
“She was pretty much stiff as a rock so I just kind of held her from there until EMS got here,” said the man.
In 2017, 43 children died after being forgotten in the back of a car.
This year, more than 10 lives have been claimed by a hot car, with three deaths coming in a 10-day span.
On May 31 in Greenville, S.C., Joe Lockaby was left in the backseat of a car by his grandmother when she went back inside to grab the keys, only to pass out.
When she came to, she discovered Joe clinging to life, EMS pronounced him dead on scene.
"I truly believe that he was an angel that walked the face of this earth,” said Joe’s mother, Krista Nix.
No charges have been filed in this case.
"I mean, I could've been the one with him that day you know it was just a freak accident,” Nix said.
The cost of closure can be hard to come by, but it is a tragedy that can be prevented.
Officials suggest leaving your phone or wallet next to your baby in the back seat or writing reminders and sticking them to the door handle.
Whatever it takes to save a child’s life.
If you’re in a parking lot, you are allowed to break a window but the law does not protect you from being sued in North Carolina. In South Carolina, you must dial 911 first in order to be protected by the law.