Akron police have shared new information about a tragic incident that claimed the life of a 2-year-old girl and prompted a nationwide recall of Hyundai SUVs.
Police said the incident occurred on March 7 at Restaurant Depot on Sweitzer Avenue in Akron.
Audio from the 911 call released to 19 News captures the urgency in the moments after the child became pinned.
“Ma’am, we have a child under a chair in the car.”
A dispatcher responds that police and paramedics were on the way.
In another part of the call, the dispatcher asks the caller to identify the vehicle, which the caller describes as a “Hyundai silver car” in the Restaurant Depot parking lot.
According to Akron police, an electronically powered third-row seat in a 2026 Hyundai Palisade collapsed, trapping the 2-year-old, identified as Lucia Ayala.
Akron Police Public Information Officer Lt. Michael Murphy said the incident is especially heartbreaking given the child’s age.
“It’s tragic anytime we lose somebody in our community, but especially a child, a very young person who obviously was completely defenseless in an incident like this,” Murphy said.
The police report states that bystanders managed to free Ayala, but she was not breathing. Akron Fire transported her to Akron Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Murphy said officials turned the case over to the medical examiner’s office.
“We handed this indecent off to the medical examiner’s office and really from there we’ve been trying to be open with the community to communicate and try to help and inform people just to be aware of all the safety features and components in their vehicle so this might not happen to someone else in the future,” he said.
After the child’s death, Hyundai issued a recall affecting more than 68,000 vehicles across the U.S. and Canada.
Hyundai said it has completed a software fix and lifted the sales halt on certain Palisade models following last month’s recall.
The medical examiner’s office ruled the child’s death an accident.
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