Summer weather brings the risk for children being left in hot cars
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – While summer doesn’t officially start until June 23, recent temperatures might have you double-checking the calendar. And as the temperatures get higher, so do the risks to children being in a hot car.
It’s a problem we hear about every summer, a parent runs in for a “quick” stop at a store and leaves a child in a car.
or, after a long day at work, being mentally drained, they forget to check the back seat after picking up their child from a babysitter.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Daniel Priddy says it can be a deadly problem with 52 children dying in 2019 after being left in a hot car and so far, one death has already been reported in the United States this year.
It’s a situation that can turn deadly quickly. Trooper Priddy says temperatures in a car can rise to lethal levels in just 10 minutes after the engine is shut off and the air conditioning is no longer running.
There are ways to help prevent leaving your child in a locked car.
- Make it a habit to look in the back seat when you get to your destination.
- Place something you just have to take with you, like a cell phone or a purse in the back seat to ensure that final check
- And after you get home and get everyone out of your automobile. Lock it so no one comes outside and plays in the car.
And if you do realize you’ve left a tiny loved one in a hot car, Dr. Michael Hillman of Tristar Greenview Regional Hospital has some advice on the danger signs of heatstroke.
He says children’s body temperature rises more quickly than adults and they stop sweating sooner. Often, their skin color will take on a red, flushed look. And watch for a child who becomes sleepy and just can’t wake up. If you notice any of these signs, call 9-1-1.
