Dad of baby boy who was ‘left in a hot car while his mum went to play the pokies’ breaks his silence

The dad of a baby boy left in a blistering hot car while his mum allegedly went to play on the pokies has spoken out.

Steve Millar has revealed his son Easton has just a 50 per cent chance of survival after he was allegedly left in the car outside a pub in Point Cook, Victoria. 

Speaking to the Herald Sun newspaper Mr Millar said he was ‘heartbroken and devasated’.  

‘I just don’t understand,’ he said.

 ‘She absolutely loved him so much. He’s very attached to his mum.’  

Steve Millar has revealed his son Easton has just a 50 per cent chance of survival after he was allegedly left in the car outside a pub in Point Cook, Victoria

Kaija Miller, 32, (pictured, left) is accused of locking 14-month-old Easton (right) in her car and abandoning him while she went to play the pokies

Kaija Miller, 32, (pictured, left) is accused of locking 14-month-old Easton (right) in her car and abandoning him while she went to play the pokies

Ms Miller, 32,has been charged after allegedly locking 14-month-old Easton in the car while she gambled.

Police in Victoria claimed Easton was left to swelter in the car as temperatures reached 33C outside.

He was found unresponsive at around 3pm on Wednesday in the locked car, which was parked outside the Brook Hotel in Point Cook, west of Melbourne.

Sources said she had been seen at the pub before. 

Easton was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition after being pulled from the vehicle.

Miller, from Gladstone Park, was charged with negligently causing serious injury and reckless conduct that endangers life.

She was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 23. 

Little Easton has been supported by his father in hospital, sources added.      

Experts said the temperature in a car on a 29C day or hotter can hit 44C within just 10 minutes, with the child likely to suffer heatstroke.

Baby Easton (pictured, left) was found unresponsive and in a critical condition. Police allege his mother Kaija Miller (right) left him in the car

Baby Easton (pictured, left) was found unresponsive and in a critical condition. Police allege his mother Kaija Miller (right) left him in the car

Kaija Miller (pictured) has been charged. Her baby, Easton, was left to fight for his life in hospital

Kaija Miller (pictured) has been charged. Her baby, Easton, was left to fight for his life in hospital

What happens to children left in hot cars?

Children’s bodies heat up three-to-five times faster than adults do

The younger the child, the more vulnerable they are 

On a 29C day, temperatures inside a car can reach 44C in just ten minutes

This can cause ‘serious injury’ and brain damage

After 20 minutes, the temperature reaches a fatal 60.2C, which could kill

Winding down the windows or parking in the shade will do little as it doesn’t affect the car’s core temperature 

 

The infant was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a critical condition on Thursday. 

It is understood a bystander performed CPR on the child until paramedics arrived.

Witnesses said the mother was inconsolable as efforts were made to save her son.

The incident comes less than a month after the state government launched its Never Leave Kids in Cars campaign.

Last month, paramedics revealed they were called eight times to children being left locked in hot cars across Victoria as temperatures hit a scorching 40C.

Upon launching the campaign, Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos said more than 30 Victorians a week — mainly babies and toddlers — were having to be rescued from vehicles.

On Thursday, Ms Mikakos said almost 1,500 children were left in vehicles in Victoria in the first 11 months of last year.

Kaija Miller (pictured) is due to appear in court on January 23. Easton is being cared for by his father, sources say

Kaija Miller (pictured) is due to appear in court on January 23. Easton is being cared for by his father, sources say

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in November, Dr Dilip Dhupelia, the president of the Australian Medical Association’s Queensland branch, had a dramatic warning for parents: ‘It is never OK to leave a child in the car.’   

‘Some people have this false sense of protection – ‘it’s only 10 minutes, I’ll leave the window open four or five centimetres’,’ Dr Dhupelia said. 

‘It doesn’t stop the temperature rising.’   

The doctor said the mercury can rise so fast in just 10 minutes in the car, that heatstroke and seizures can occur. 

Heatstroke is where children’s bodies fail to properly regulate their temperature and can occur rapidly after their body temperature passes 40 degrees.  

‘A child can become dizzy, it can become confused, it can become very agitated,’ Dr Dhupelia said. 

Their organs then begin to shut down. 

‘Then they have seizures, and the seizures can lead to a loss of consciousness and death.

Study: A 2008 Ambulance Victoria experiment found temperatures inside a car on a 29 degree day, doubled from 20C to 44C in ten minutes - which could cause 'serious injury'

Study: A 2008 Ambulance Victoria experiment found temperatures inside a car on a 29 degree day, doubled from 20C to 44C in ten minutes – which could cause ‘serious injury’

The 14-month-old was fighting for life after being was found unconscious in a car parked outside a pokies venue (pictured)

The 14-month-old was fighting for life after being was found unconscious in a car parked outside a pokies venue (pictured)

 

 

 

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