A 4-year-old boy who was left in a hot car dials 911 and saves himself and six other kids
The brave 4-year-old in today’s story comes from St. Charles, Maryland, USA, where a mother left seven children in her two-door car with the windows rolled up while she went shopping. It was 80°F (around 27°C) outside, and the kids began to sweat and become overheated. They were all rescued after one of the seven children, a 4-year-old, dialed 911.
This story’s 37-year-old mother went shopping in St. Charles, leaving seven children in the car with the windows pulled up. The doors were left unlocked, but the children were warned not to leave the vehicle under any circumstances. They all listened to her and stayed in the van to wait for her because they were good kids.
She spent around 20 minutes inside. Meanwhile, outside in the car, the kids began to sweat and became frightened. A 4-year-old child in the car contacted 911 and informed them of their situation, fearing the worst. Fortunately, assistance arrived quickly, and the children were removed from the vehicle. Things may have gone a lot worse if it hadn’t been for the small boy’s call for assistance. Children’s bodies react to heat differently than adults’, and heat exhaustion can lead to a variety of problems.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office states:
“Charles County 911 received a call from a child reporting that he and six other children were alone and hot inside a car. The child was unsure about their location. The call-taker was able to pinpoint the location of the vehicle to the St. Charles Towne Center using GPS and other mechanisms, and officers were dispatched to the scene.”
She arrived 10 minutes after rescue had arrived, while leaving the kids outside in a hot car for twenty minutes. She has now been charged.
“About ten minutes later, the car’s driver, a 37-year-old lady, arrived at her vehicle. Officers were able to determine that she had been inside the mall for at least twenty minutes shopping after conducting an investigation. The woman was charged with child confinement in a motor vehicle since she is the mother of two of the children and babysits the others. Additional charges are pending after officers met with the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office. The Department of Social Services has been notified and is assisting with the investigation. The woman’s name will not be revealed at this time due to the nature of the crime and to protect the victims.”
“As a reminder, it is illegal to leave a kid under the age of eight unattended inside a motor vehicle if the caregiver is out of sight of the child unless the child is accompanied by a responsible adult who is at least 13 years old.” It’s also risky to leave anyone inside a vehicle, even dogs, especially as the weather becomes warmer. In a short amount of time, the temperature inside a parked car can swiftly increase to dangerously high and even lethal levels.”
Please do not leave your children outside in a car with the windows rolled down; this might result in life-threatening situations for them, such as suffocation and heat exhaustion, among other things.
Please either bring them inside with you or turn on the air conditioning. When it comes to children, take every care possible; shopping can wait. Our hats are off to this courageous little child who was able to make quick judgments and request assistance.
