In a troubling incident in Maryland, a mother was arrested after her four-year-old child called 911 from inside a locked car, where he and six other young children were left unattended. The children, all under the age of four, had been left in the sweltering vehicle for at least 20 minutes while she shopped at a nearby mall.
The call was made just after 1 p.m., during which the frightened child informed the operator that they were trapped inside a hot car. Authorities quickly traced the call to a parking lot at a mall in St. Charles, Maryland. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered the seven children inside the vehicle, with the windows rolled up and the engine turned off. The oldest child, who is believed to have made the call, was only four, while the youngest was just two years old. Officers managed to rescue the children, who were visibly distressed and overheated, and they received care from Charles County Fire/EMS.
On that day, temperatures were around 80 degrees, and the children were described as “sweaty” and “scared.” The children’s mother, a 37-year-old woman, returned to the vehicle approximately ten minutes after police arrived, having been inside the mall for at least 20 minutes. Officers noted that there was only one car seat present in the vehicle.
As warmer weather approaches, it’s essential to remember the dangers of leaving children in hot cars. In 2018, a tragic 52 children lost their lives due to heat-related incidents in vehicles—the highest number in two decades. Even on seemingly mild days, the temperature inside a closed car can skyrocket, posing serious health risks to small children or pets. According to research by Consumer Reports, a car’s internal temperature can exceed 105°F within just one hour, even when the outside temperature is only 61°F. “Temperatures that seem comfortable for adults can quickly become dangerous for children,” warns Dr. Orly Avitzur, a former medical director for Consumer Reports.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office highlighted that it is illegal to leave a child under the age of eight alone in a vehicle if the caregiver is out of sight unless a reliable person aged 13 or older is present. The risks associated with leaving anyone, including pets, in a parked car increase significantly as temperatures rise. In this case, the woman was not only the mother of two of the children but was also babysitting the other five. She was taken into custody and charged with endangerment for leaving the children unattended in the vehicle.
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In summary, leaving children unattended in a hot car poses serious risks, and this incident serves as a reminder of the dangers involved. It’s crucial to stay vigilant and informed about child safety in vehicles, especially as the temperatures rise.
Keyphrase: child safety in hot cars
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