It is never ideal to leave things in the car, whether they’re electronics, food, pets, or worse, children—especially now that the weather is getting hotter.
Despite the risks, however, there are still those who do it.
In the United States, a Louisville daycare has been forced to shut down after a staff member had left a toddler inside an SUV and forgot that he was there.
According to an ABC report, “The Cabinet for Health and Family Services issued an emergency, indefinite suspension Wednesday for Lil Kings and Queens Learning Academy, finding it posed an ‘immediate threat to public health, safety and welfare.’”
It was said that a staff member from the day care picked up two-year-old Lavontae Swain from his home at 9AM and then forgot to deliver him to the center.
“More than six hours later, about 3:45 p.m., the driver arrived at an elementary school to pick up other children,” the same report said.
“Two schoolchildren climbing into the SUV discovered the 2-year-old unresponsive in the back seat.”
With the help of the school staff, they brought the child inside. Despite the attempts to resuscitate him, they failed.
A spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department, Dwight Mitchell, said that an investigation is ongoing and the the case will be handed over to prosecutors to decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
Hyperthermia
According to the National Institutes of Health, Hyperthermia is an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.
Other forms of hyperthermia include: heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after prolonged exposure to the heat), heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Dehydration, age-related changes to the skin and sweat glands, heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure increase risk of hyperthermia.
Symptoms include: confusion, strong rapid pulse, lack of sweating, dry flushed skin, faintness, or staggering.
If you suspect that someone is suffering from hyperthermia, do the following:
- Get the person out of the heat and into a shady, air-conditioned or other cool place. Urge them to lie down.
- Encourage the individual to shower, bathe or sponge off with cool water.
- Apply a cold, wet cloth to the wrists, neck, armpits, and/or groin. These are places where blood passes close to the surface of the skin, and the cold cloths can help cool the blood.
READ: Protect your child from heatstroke
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