|
CARS BECOME DEATHTRAPS IN SUMMER HEAT
(07-30-2004) - A two-year-old girl from Sacramento died
last week after being left in a car at a church service on a hot
day. She’s the latest victim of a tragedy that claims dozens of
children each summer. It’s a sober reminder why you should never
leave your child in the car alone.
Four years ago, Kaitlyn
Russell’s mother got the call that every parent dreads.
“I
got a phone call at work saying there was an emergency with my
baby,” Tammy Russell said.
Kaitlyn’s babysitter had left her
in a van on a 100-degree day.
“The hospital chaplain and the
pediatrician came in and said ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing [we] could
do,’” she said. “Kaitlyn’s body temperature was 107 degrees upon
arrival to the hospital.”
Russell joined local firefighters
and police officers to highlight the danger as the summer weather
heats up.
“If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,”
she said.
On this day in El Cajon, the outside temperature
was 78 degrees, but a thermometer in a car quickly shot up to 115
degrees. Medical experts say that kind of heat can be deadly to
children in a matter of minutes.
“A child isn't able to
tolerate heat as well as an adult and they're body temperature rises
more quickly than an adult's body temperature,” said Sue Cox of
Children’s Hospital Trauma Services.
Amazingly, many parents
who leave their infants in the car simply forget their child is with
them. That’s why Russell suggests you put your purse or wallet in
the back seat as a reminder. You should also keep your car locked,
even when it’s parked at home.
“Children as young as two get
into vehicles, they get in but they can't get out,” Russell said.
“So we ask that you keep your doors locked at all times if it's in
the garage or your driveway, always lock your car doors.”
Russell still grieves for her baby girl every day, knowing
it was a death that didn’t have to happen.
“I would just
like to ask in memory of Kaitlyn to help me fill my promise to her
and help me save the life of a child,” she said.
Russell
helped pass Kaitlyn’s Law, which makes it a crime to leave a child
under six unsupervised in a car. California is one of just 11 states
to have such a law. |
