Cars can turn into an oven

VALLADOLID Municipal Police officers rescued a baby from certain heatstroke.

The four-month old baby was left in the car by the mother at 1pm with the doors locked and the windows rolled up while she ran some errands.

Local residents called the police after they saw the baby was restless and having a crying fit inside the locked vehicle. Following the heat wave that hit Spain last week, temperatures in Valladolid have reached 35°C (95°F).

Given the danger to the baby’s life resulting from the scorching heat, the police decided to break one of the car’s windows and pull the baby out.

He was rushed to a nearby hostel where the officers washed his face and hydrated him.

The mother, 35, arrived minutes later and said she was just running some errands down the streets. She promised to take the baby to a hospital to have him undergo a thorough examination.

In early July an Atlanta father appeared in court after forgetting his toddler in a locked car for over six hours on a sweltering summer day. The baby later died. The man is facing second-degree child cruelty and murder charges.

Paediatricians and safety experts agree that hot cars can be extremely dangerous. At least 600 children have died since 1998 after being forgotten in the car by absentminded parents.

On a typical hot summer day, temperatures inside a car – even if the windows are rolled down a little bit – can quickly rise above 48°C (120°F) to 60°C (140°F).

At such temperatures, children are at greater risk for heatstroke, which can result in a high fever, seizures, dehydration and death.