Toddler taken to Children's Hospital after being left in car for hours

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.(WIAT) — Birmingham police say a one-year-old girl is fighting for her life at Children's of Alabama after being left in a car for several hours on 1st Ave S.

According to the Birmingham Fire Dept. Lt. Harrell, the toddler was not in good condition when she was transported by rescue crews around 1 p.m. Around 5:30 p.m., Birmingham police said the baby girl was in the ICU.

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Reportedly, the father of the child had taken the mother to work and then went to work himself. He says he accidentally left the child in the vehicle.

Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards says the medical staff at Children's was working on her when he left, and that she is a fighter.

Edwards says they are investigating how the child was left alone in the car, and will be speaking to both parents, but "the main priority is to get this child through this crisis, and then," investigators will get to the bottom of what happened.

"The reality is that there shouldn't be that much in your life that will have you so occupied that you will leave your one-year-old child in a car, extremely hot, like a hot day, like a summer day, today," Edwards said. "It's just mind blowing to a lot of us staff, you can tell that the officers are still kinda in shock. A lot of us are at the hospital, just kind of waiting around. We're very hopeful. We believe in miracles, plus the little kid is fighting."

Edwards said the child's condition is serious.

Ken Brimer works in a few doors down from where the car was parked. He said when he came back from his lunch break, he saw a man running down the street with a baby, limp in his arms.

"Unusual, thinking maybe it's somebody jogging. We have a lot of joggers here," Brimer said.

Then, Jay Paradiso, who works in the same strip, told Brimer that a child was left in a car.

"First thing I thought was– you start praying," Brimer said. "I'm a believer. I started praying. God, please. He knows my heart. I've got four grandkids. I can't see a child suffer."

Paradiso said he was familiar with the father, who works next door and brings his child to work on occasion.

"He's always been really good with his child. They're always waving, and stuff," Paradiso said. "I'm shocked, because this guy is a straight-laced, normal, good, hard worker, as far as I know."