TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Twenty-five children across America have died so far this year as the result of being left inside hot cars.
Two of those fatalities have happened in Florida, including the death of a one-year old boy just last Friday in Broward County.
In the state capital Wednesday, the Department of Children and Families, Florida Highway Patrol and other law-enforcement agencies simulated a hot car scene using a toy doll, to show just how quickly a vehicle will heat up in the summer sun.
Firefighters and paramedics also demonstrated how they respond to a hot car call. Jeanna (Gina) Olson with DCF says young children are at the greatest risk for injury inside of hot cars, as their body temperatures go up five times faster than adults.
“A body temperature for a child at 107 is potentially fatal," said Olson. "That could happen within the first ten minutes of being left unattended in a car with the heat that we have here in Florida.”
In Florida, it is a criminal offense to leave a child inside a parked car and DCF advises anyone who sees a kid left unattended inside a vehicle, regardless of location, to immediately call 9-1-1.
In addition to children, hundreds of pets also die each year in the state from being left alone inside hot cars.
