On an average 38 children die in the United States every year due to heatstroke after being left unattended in cars, statistics released by KidsandCars.gov states.
In 2012, 32 children died in hot cars. Children left unattended in cars during summers are prone to heat strokes that happen when an individual's body cannot sufficiently cool itself to deal with high temperatures.
Nausea, disorientation, confusion, lethargy and hot, flushed skin are symptoms of heat stroke, Kim Lombard, the trauma and injury prevention coordinator at Gundersen Health System, told WXOW.com.
According to SaferCar.gov, a car's interior can easily reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit on an 80-degree day, even when the glasses are rolled down a couple of inches. After half an hour, the inside temperature can reach 114 degrees and 123 degrees after one hour.
Last week two babies died of heatstroke after they were left locked up in the car. A Virginia mother of an 8-month-old son drove to her office and forgot that her child was in the car. After six hours, when she got back after work, she saw her baby was still. She rushed to hospital only to be informed that her son was dead. The 32-year-old mother, Zoraida Magali Conde Hernandez, is now charged with child neglect.
In another incident on the same day, a 16-month-old Baltimore girl, Sabriya Towels, was locked up in a car when her relative, not parent, forgot to take her out before going for a nap. According to police, the man had to drop the girl at Highland Village Head Start Center in Baltimore, but forgot to do so. He drove to his home in South Paca Street to take a nap. He later went to Head Start Center and was informed that the child was not dropped. The man found the girl unresponsive in the car. No criminal charges have been filed and investigations are on.
Lombard advises that when anyone suffers from heatstroke, get out of the vehicle and drink water to cool down the body.
Some other tips listed on SaferCar.gov and KidsandCars.gov:
1. Leave your items, which you need, in the back seat.
2. Keep a stuffed toy in your child's seat when he or she isn't there. Keep the item in the front seat when your child is in the back.
3. Tell your children to not enter or play in a parked vehicle.
4. Never leave children unattended in any vehicle. Their body temperature rises faster than adults and heatstroke can happen in temperatures as low as 57 degrees.
