Everyone knows you’re not supposed to leave kids and pets inside a hot car.
Except for a Waldorf, MD mom who left her two kids and five others in a car with closed windows for almost a half hour.
Even her 4-year-old reportedly knew that you’re not supposed to leave kids alone inside a car.
That’s why he allegedly called 911 to tell police that he and six other children were locked in a hot car.
That call ended in the mom being hit with a charge.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Department says they got a call to 911 from a child in early May at 1:06 p.m.
The child told police that he and the other six kids were left alone in a hot car.
While the child wasn’t able to articulate where they were to police, emergency personnel were able to track down the car’s location using GPS and other methods.
The car was found at St. Charles Towne Center. It was there that police found seven children inside the car with the windows rolled up and the engine turned off.
The children ranged in age from 4 to 2 years old. Police removed the children from the vehicle. The Charles County Fire/EMS provided the children with treatment though the report doesn’t specify if the children sustained injuries.
The 37-year-old mother arrived back at the car about 10 minutes later. It is believed that she had been inside the mall shopping for about 20 minutes prior to that.
Two of the children were hers, and she was babysitting the other five.
The woman was charged with confinement of children inside a motor vehicle. Additional charges were pending at the time the press release was issued.
The Department of Social Services also responded to the scene and were assisting with the case’s investigation.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office reminded parents of the dangers of leaving people unattended in a car without air conditioning or ventilation.
“As a reminder, it is against the law to leave a child under the age of eight unattended inside a motor vehicle if the caregiver is out of sight of the child unless a reliable person at least 13 years old remains with the child. It is also dangerous to leave anyone, including pets, inside a motor vehicle especially as outside temperatures become warmer. The temperature inside a parked car can quickly rise to extremely high and even fatal levels in a short period of time,” their press release said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, temperatures inside a car can become dangerous within 10 minutes on an 80-degree day.
Even on a 60-degree day, your car can get up to 100 degrees.
They also warn that a child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult making it especially dangerous for them.
Even cracking the window isn’t helpful in making conditions safe inside the car.
Pets can also quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke or suffocation if left in a hot car.
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