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The distraught father of a Sydney toddler who died after being left in a hot car for six hours has spoken out in a bid to stop similar tragedies.

Newaz Hasan’s morning was like any other last Thursday. The father-of-two bundled his sons, including three-year-old Arikh into the car. His six-year-old son was headed to school and Arikh to daycare. He’d done the same drive for the past 18 months.

But somehow, this scorching summer’s day, he would forget to take Arikh to daycare.

“I would normally talk to my son on the way to daycare, you know, we would chat … but because he was asleep this day, the car was silent,” Hasan told The Daily Telegraph.

“I think that silence just made me forget he was there.”

Mr Hasan left his home in Sydney’s western suburbs with his two children on board. He dropped his oldest off at school and headed to work. He worked for six hours from his home office, before getting back in the car at 3pm to pick up his older son from school.

He still didn’t realise little Arikh was in the back.

But when he went to open the door to let his older son into the car, the horror of what had happened sunk in. Arikh had been in the car all day.

The distraught dad grabbed his unconscious toddler from his seat and ran to a nearby store where CPR was performed until medical help arrived. But it was too late.

When he heartbreak of the situation hit him, Mr Hasan punched the window of his car.

“Even talking about it now, I still don’t really know how it happened. There was nothing on my mind, I wasn’t distracted, nothing … I just forgot,” he said.

“I just want to say to other parents please always be 120 per cent sure where your kids are.”

Investigations are continuing, but Mr Hasan has not been charged with any offences.

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  • OMG this is a nightmare situation. The poor father will never get over this. Poor little Arikh. Sad for everyone.

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  • The poor father, the heartbreak and torment he must be going through.

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  • Such a heart breaking tragedy :'( RIP Little Arikh

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  • So heartbreaking. I really feel for this family and especially this dad as I suspect he will have to deal with feelings of guilt for the rest of his life

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  • This is so awful for the whole family. I just hope their marriage survives this tragedy but it’s going to be hard.

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  • This is so sad. I feel very sorry for this family, and especially for this young boy. R.I.P.

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  • Such a tragic thing to happen and not the first time I have heard of ‘forgetting’ a child in the car. It was something I always did – checking inside the car before locking and leaving it and I still find myself doing this although all my babies are now well grown up. Guess it is a good habit to get into and would stop this happening in future.


    • Yes it’s tragic that this happens more often

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  • Such a sad and heartbreaking turn of events my heart goes out to the devastated family especially dad and mum

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  • This is just so, so sad. How devastating for everyone.

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  • This is just an absolute tragedy. Nothing that can be said or done will change the heartbreak for this family, a heartbreak they have to live with forver. My thoughts are with them.

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  • An absolute tragedy, and shows how easily the brain switches to autopilot, condolences to the family.

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  • This is every parent’s nightmare. Poor family!

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  • Such a tragedy, I can’t imagine!

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  • Absolutely heartbreaking… i can’t imagine how devastated this family, especially the father, feels…

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  • Until you forget something important that you never imagined you would you cannot for a moment put yourself in his shoes. This poor man and his family have to live with this tragedy and I feel for them with all the judgmental and nasty comments being posted around. Absolutely heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to the family.

    Reply

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