After Being Left In A Hot Car, 4-Year-Old Toddler Calls 911 To Save Himself And 6 Other Kids

Dec 01, 2022 by apost team

While most people tend to get ready for their vacations or getaways by heading to the beach, applying sunscreen or getting ready for bathing suit season, there are far more important precautions to take when dealing with the summer heat. During the warmer seasons, it’s important to remember the danger that the summer sun can bring.

We’ve all heard the importance of not leaving children or animals in a car unattended due to the hot temperatures that can arise from being in these conditions. The Centers for Disease Control has explained that it is never safe to leave children and infants unattended in a car in any weather condition, according to the Daily Mail.

Unfortunately, not everyone follows the rules and guidelines set in place. In May 2019, Maryland police officers responded to an alert that would have most parents beyond worried.

Although just one child made the 911 call that saved their lives, seven young children between the ages of 2 and 4 were left inside of a car unattended with the windows shut and no air conditioning in the turned-off vehicle.

It was a warm 80-degree day, so the temperature inside the car reached unsafe conditions pretty quickly. When the child reached 911, he told the responders that the kids were hot and unsure of their location.

But the children had actually been left at a mall near their homes at the St. Charles Towne Center. The mother of two of the children, a 37-year-old woman, had headed inside the mall to do some shopping while telling the children to stay in the car.

Thankfully, the children were found using the GPS located inside the cell phone used to call 911. Once the deputies approached the two-door Monte Carlo, they also noticed something else that was unsafe about the situation.

Only one of the children was in a car seat, even though it is a state law that all children under the age of 8 must use one.

“As a reminder, it is against the law to leave a child under the age of 8 unattended inside a motor vehicle if the caregiver is out of sight of the child unless a reliable person at least 13-year-old remains with the child,” the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said, as per CNN. “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.”

The kids were “scared” and “sweaty” upon rescue, according to WJLA. However, they were considered to be generally healthy and did not need to be hospitalized. Once the mother returned to the car about 10 minutes after authorities came on the scene, it was decided that she would be charged with the confinement of the kids inside of the car and perhaps some additional charges.

According to USA Today, the woman was a mother of two of the children and was babysitting the others. The penalty in Maryland for leaving kids unattended can be as much as $500 in fines, 30 days in jail, or both.

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What do you think about the mother’s actions? We are very happy the little boy knew how to use the phone! Let us know your thoughts, and pass this story to your friends and family to remind them to be careful.