A closed car on a summer sunny day is like an oven. If you see a child in it, you need to react instantly.
Summer is, of course, a truly beautiful time of the whole year that we all look forward to with eager anticipation, but it can often generate many dangers that could, in many cases, simply be avoided. A crowning example of the stupidity of some drivers or parents is leaving children or pets in locked cars.
For young children, who are not fully aware of what is going on around them, this is downright deadly. Even at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, leaving a car in full sunlight can cause the temperature inside to rise to as high as 90 degrees Celsius, and for the human body to stay in such conditions for even several minutes can be extremely dangerous to health and life. Despite the publicity of such a problem in the media, similar situations unfortunately still occur. How to behave if we see a child locked in a heated car? First of all, do not ignore it – because our action can save his life. However, what should we do?
Before we go into action, let’s make sure several times that surely our intervention is necessary. Let’s check that the car isn’t accidentally opened, and let’s also try to call out to a parent or car owner who may be nearby and has literally stepped out for a few seconds. Sometimes, too, we may see a card saying that the air conditioning is running inside – but we should not trust this completely.
If we see that a child locked in a car is in real danger, the first thing we must do is to call the emergency number and summon the appropriate services. This will not only make it possible for the child to receive professional care, but also justify our action, although overall, we do not need a police patrol at all for this. By breaking the car window in such a situation, we are acting in a state of higher necessity, and this automatically absolves us of responsibility.
The arrival of the police can take up to a dozen minutes, and in such circumstances every second is important. We will have to go into action ourselves and free the toddler from the deadly trap that is a closed car. How to do it, however?
In breaking the car window, a kick or a blow with the hand may not be enough. It is necessary to take a hard, sharp or heavy object, such as a wrench, fire extinguisher, screwdriver or other such tool. We break the window from the opposite side of the car, so as not to injure the child with shards of glass. Then we need to take the child out of the car and move it to a safe place, waiting for the services to arrive. If the child is not breathing, it will also be necessary to perform CPR until professional help arrives.
main photo: unsplash.com/Michael Fousert
