Officials warn: Hot cars can quickly kill kids
Summer temperatures in Southwest Florida are climbing well over 100 degrees and officials from Florida’s Department of Children and Families are urging parents not to leave their children unattended in cars.
Over the past decade three children have died in Southwest Florida and more than 200 across the United States after being trapped in a sweltering car. DCF officials also want members of the community to report to authorities any time they see a child or vulnerable adult left in a car.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, heat-related illness occurs when people are unable to properly cool themselves. The body’s natural cooling methods, such as sweating, are sometimes not enough in hot, enclosed spaces with high humidity.
“We just want to remind everybody on a regular basis that we are seeing temperatures higher than ever,” said Erin Gillespie, spokesperson for DCF. “If it is hot outside it’s even hotter in a closed car.”
The department is currently investigating the deaths of two children left in a car in Jacksonville. For one of deaths, a toddler left in a truck for over two hours, weather experts stated that the temperature within the truck may have been as high as 130 degrees, according to Jacksonville media reports.
Lee County DCF officials are currently investigating a case where three young children were left alone in a car for at least 10 minutes. Nearby residents who saw the children contacted DCF.
“We got a call that they were left in the car, the children weren’t harmed,” said Gillespie. “There is some debate to whether they stepped away for a moment, but what we have is that they were left alone for 10 minutes.”
Some guardians may believe that leaving a car window down or limiting the time a child stays in a car will prevent their chances of injury, but they are wrong. Children who survive being left in a hot car have a higher chance of permanent brain damage.
Florida statutes doesn’t allow parents to leave any child under the age of 6 in a car alone for longer than 15 minutes. Furthermore, any law enforcement officer who sees a child unattended can use any means necessary to remove the child from the vehicle and the child will be remanded to DCF custody.