Photo from “Would you leave a Child Alone in a Car”, St. George and Sutherland Shire Leader, 08/11/09
I had just returned from the grocery store. It was only 9:30 a.m., but it was a hot, humid day and close to 80 degrees already. As I carried groceries into the house, I heard a small child crying nearby, but didn’t think anything of it.
After several more trips back and forth to the car, I went back out to close the hatch. That’s when I noticed that not only was the child still crying, but now it was much louder, and the child was hysterically screaming, “MAMA! MAMA!”.
Startled, I looked around to see if I could figure out where the crying was coming from. Then I noticed an unfamiliar car, with a couple of windows partly open, parked in front of my neighbor’s house.
“Oh no, you’re kidding me!” I muttered to myself, and ran over to the car to look inside.
There was a sweaty, teary little toddler girl inside, strapped into her car seat, kicking and crying helplessly. I was furious!
“Where’s your mommy honey? Is she in the house? Should I go bang on the door?”
She pointed at the house.
“Okay sweetie, I’ll go bang on the door. I’ll be right back.”
I reasoned that maybe if I at least tried to find her mother first, then it wouldn’t be considered attempted kidnapping if I wound up having to take the kid out of the car myself.
As I strode across the lawn away from the car, the poor little thing started wailing again.
Just then, a lady cheerfully emerged from the house, as if she had just dropped by for a little visit. But when she heard her child screaming and saw the look on my face, her jaw dropped! She then smiled and waved at me embarrassingly, and hurried back to her car.
Why would she do such a thing? Maybe the child was napping when she arrived. Maybe she thought she wouldn’t be long.
And maybe she didn’t realize how fast a parked car can heat up and how hot it can get – even with the windows half open.
Vehicle Temperature Table – University of Georgia
Now I realize that what she did isn’t illegal (at least not in Virginia). But seriously! Most people seem to realize that it’s a bad idea to leave a pet in a hot car. Why don’t people realize that the same thing applies to children?
In 2011 alone, 33 children died from hyperthermia in the U.S. In some cases, the outside temperature was only in the low 80s.
Child Vehicular Hyperthermia Deaths 2011 – San Francisco University
And there have been 7 deaths already this year.
Please people! I know you are reluctant to disturb your sleeping child. I know you think it will only take you a moment. But why risk it?
And what would you do if you happened to come across an unattended child in a hot car, and you couldn’t locate the parents? The Virginia Department of Transportation recommends the following:
“Call 911 if you suspect that an unattended child left in a locked vehicle is in danger. Remain at the vehicle until authorities arrive.”
Let’s all please have a safe and happy summer!
