Heat Claims the Lives of at Least 33 Children Left in Cars
5 June 2000
National SAFE KIDS Campaign and Meteorologists Advise Extreme Caution During Potentially Record-Setting High Temperatures This SummerWASHINGTON - At least 30 children died last summer, one child every four days on average, after being trapped in an automobile parked in the searing heat. The majority of the fatalities occurred in June and July. Thanks to help from the media following a SAFE KIDS news conference last August, the rate of these fatalities dramatically declined. Shockingly, there have already been three known heat-related child fatalities within the last two weeks. This is a tragic start to a summer that the National Weather Service predicts will be warmer than usual across most of the country. In response, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign is partnering with the American Meteorological Society to issue an urgent warning to parents and caregivers to take extra precautions with children in and around vehicles during the upcoming warm summer days. "These tragedies sharply illustrate that adults don't understand how severely and quickly heat affects children," said Heather Paul, Ph.D., executive director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. "All adults must understand that any unlocked car can become a deadly playground for small children." According to data reported by the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, at least 30 children died last year from heat stroke when they became trapped or were left in parked cars. On July 27, 1999 in North Carolina, a 3-year-old climbed into a hot empty car, buckled himself into his car seat and died in the extreme heat. Each of his parents mistakenly thought the boy was being cared for by the other parent. In Atlanta, two young brothers, both under age three, died in July after wandering out of their backyard and into an unlocked car parked outside the family home. Temperatures that afternoon had reached about 90 degrees. Three known deaths have already occurred within the last two weeks in Phoenix, Hampton, VA and in Sussex County, New Jersey where a child was left in a car seat for more than two hours. The temperature outside was 63 degrees. According to a recent survey by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, 10 percent of parents report that it's acceptable for young children to be left in a car unattended. Among parents between the ages of 18 and 24, twice as many contend that it's okay to leave a child alone in a vehicle. When the outside temperature is 93 degrees Fahrenheit, even with a window cracked, the temperature inside a car can reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit in just 20 minutes and approximately 140 degrees in 40 minutes. In these extreme conditions, children can die or suffer permanent disability quickly - in a matter of minutes. "Extreme heat affects infants and small children disproportionately," said Martin Eichelberger, M.D., director of trauma surgery at Children's National Medical Center and president of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. "Heat rapidly overwhelms the body's ability to regulate temperature. In a closed environment, the body can go into shock and circulation to vital organs will begin to fail." The SAFE KIDS survey also found that only 50 percent of parents always lock their cars at home and one out of five parents rarely or never does so. More than a third of the deaths reported last year occurred when children crawled into unlocked cars while playing and perished in the sweltering heat. Unlocked cars pose serious risks to children who are naturally curious and often lack fear. Once they crawl in, they don't have the developmental capability to get out. In several cases, a parent or caregiver intentionally left the child in a car while in other cases, the child was mistakenly forgotten. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign has partnered with the American Meteorological Society and its 850 broadcast meteorologists to help spread awareness about the dangers of leaving kids in cars, especially during warm temperatures. During upcoming weather forecasts, broadcast meteorologists around the country will remind parents and caregivers how to keep their kids safe this summer. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign warns parents to be especially vigilant about their children's safety on days when temperatures are 80 degrees or higher by offering the following safety precautions to combat heat-related injuries in cars: * Keep cars locked at all times, even in the garage or driveway. * Teach children not to play in or around cars. * Never leave your child in an unattended car, even with the windows down. * Always make sure that all child passengers have left the car. * If your child gets locked inside a car, get him out and dial 9-1-1 or your local emergency number immediately. * Make sure you check the temperature of the car seat surface and safety belt buckles before restraining your children in the car. * Use a light covering to shade the seat of your parked car. Consider using windshield shades in front and back windows. Car trunks can be especially hazardous. Kids get in but can't always get out. In very hot weather, heat stroke may result and could lead to permanent disability or even death in a matter of minutes. * Keep the trunk of your car locked at all times, especially when parked in the driveway or near the home. * Keep the rear fold-down seats closed to help prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car. * Put car keys out of children's reach and sight. * Be wary of child-resistant locks. Teach older children how to disable the driver's door locks if they unintentionally become entrapped in a motor vehicle. * Contact your automobile dealership about getting your vehicle retrofitted with a trunk release mechanism. For more information, write to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004 or visit the Campaign's website at http://www.safekids.org The survey was conducted by Bruskin Goldring Research. The sample size of this national survey was 700 families with children under 18. There is a sample reliability of + or - 3.5% at a 95% level of confidence. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign is the first and only national organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury - the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. More than 280 State and Local SAFE KIDS Coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico comprise the Campaign. The American Meteorological Society currently promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. Founded in 1919, AMS now has a membership of more than 11,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals, sponsors more than 12 conferences annually, and offers numerous programs and services. 2000 Heat-related Fatalities Children Age 4 and Under Child's Name Age Date City/State Circumstance Martin Medina 4 years May 24 Phoenix, AZ Playing Jack Hayes 13 mos. May 24 Newton, NJ Sleeping Benjamin Shelton 9 mos. May 25 York Co., VA Unattended instead of daycare 1999 Heat-related Fatalities Children Age 4 and Under Child's Name Age Date City/State Circumstance Damon Adams 4 years March 17 Cincinatti, OH Unattended while uncle worked Justin Miller 2 years June 5 Fairfield, OH Playing Jory Johnson 3 years June 5 Rockford, IL Playing Nnamdi Chidomere 1 year June 6 Houston, TX Unattended after baptism Dallas Johnson 2 years June 7 Rockford, IL Playing Stacey Stinger 2 1/2 years June 7 Gaithersburg, MD Caregiver housecleaning Cailan Cutillo 5 mos. June 14 Claremont, CA Unattended, parents asleep in hotel Krystal Domingues 15 mos. June 28 Temecula, CA Unattended, mom had been drinking Melanie Auriene 2 years July 4 Lombard, IL Unattended, sleeping Cody Britt 2 years July 4 Masontown, PA Playing with siblings Arnold Guzman 21/2 years July 5 Omaha, NE Playing with brother Jermaine Christmas 18 mos. July 7 Sarasota, FL Unattended, grandparents at church Leslie Ramirez 2 years July 13 Apoka, FL Playing Brian Puckett 11 mos. July 13 Lexington, KY Unattended, baby sitter shopping Thorance Fungwe 5 mos. July 14 Detroit, MI Unattended instead of daycare Alec Benavides 3 years July 18 Parkville, MD Playing Scott Hearn 2 1/2 years July 20 Atlanta, GA Playing Trayce Hearn 1 1/2 years July 20 Atlanta, GA Playing Darnecia Slater 22 mos. July 21 Memphis, TN Unattended in daycare van Brandon Mann 2 years July 21 Memphis, TN Unattended in daycare van Tykeill Stacker 2 years July 25 Greensboro, NC Unattended outside church George Barber 3 years July 25 Laurinburg, NC Playing Daniel Ellison 7 mos. July 29 Clovis, NM Unattended instead of daycare Luis Fernando Pineda Valdovins 2 1/2 years August 1 San Jose, CA Playing Senan Arteaga 8 mos. August 1 Houston, TX Unattended, left in car seat Unkown 2 years August Fayette County, WA Playing Samuel Jackson 7 weeks August 15 Tulsa, OK Unattended while mother shopped Miah Chevendychenko -viaz 1 1/2 years August 24 McAllen, TX Unattended Amaya Banks 10 mos. September 8 Baton Rouge, LA Unattended, sitter at Dr. appt. Jacie Sellers 15 mos. September 23 Hattiesburg, MS Unattended, instead of daycare