Columbia Kids at Risk of Heat Injuries in Hot Cars

An experienced personal injury lawyer knows tragic deaths occur every summer in Columbia, Anderson, Rock Hill, Sumter, Georgetown and surrounding areas as a direct result of children being accidentally left inside of vehicles hot. On a summer day when the temperature is in the mid-80s, the temperature inside a car with the windows down two inches can climb to deadly levels within a period of just 10 minutes.

A child’s body temperature can reach 107 degrees quickly, especially since kids are not able to regulate their body temperature as well as adults. When a child’s temperature reaches this level, the child can sustain permanent brain damage that results in life-changing consequences like blindness, deafness and cognitive impairment.  A child can die within just a few minutes of being trapped inside a hot vehicle.

Parents and caregivers need to be aware of the tremendous risks that hot vehicles can present to young children and must ensure they are taking steps to keep kids safe. When a caregiver like a daycare center worker is negligent and leaves a child inside of a hot car, the daycare center can be responsible for losses and damages caused to the child and family.

Protecting Children from Injuries and Deaths Inside of Hot Vehicles 

Since 1998, there have been at least 637 children killed inside of hot vehicles. Children aged four and under are at the greatest risk of losing their lives when they are left inside of a car that becomes too hot. Children of this age are not able to communicate or get outside of the vehicle, and they are the least able to regulate their internal temperature.

Last year alone, there were 30 children killed when their caregivers left them inside of cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is aiming to protect children from suffering the same fate this year.  Injuries due to excessive heat are 100 percent preventable and the NHTSA has launched a campaign to try to save children’s lives by raising awareness and finding ways to prevent caregivers from forgetting kids inside cars.

Parents are encouraged to put a purse or a briefcase in the back seat of their vehicle whenever a child is in the car. This will ensure that the parent opens the back seat and is able to see if a child has been left inside the car. Parents should also get into the habit of always checking both the back and the front seats before locking the car door to ensure that their child is not inside. Parents who do not regularly transport children are at the greatest risk of accidentally leaving a child inside a vehicle.

Daycare centers and other professional caregivers should be sure that they are also doing their part to prevent children under their care from getting hurt. When a bus or van that transports children to activities is unloaded, the bus should be checked thoroughly and a head-count completed in order to make sure that all kids have gotten off the vehicle safely.

South Carolina car accident victims should contact Rock Hill, SC attorney Chad McGowan of McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC at (803) 327-7800 or visit www.mcgowanhood.com for a free case consultation. Also serving Anderson, SC, Columbia, SC, Sumter, SC, and Georgetown, SC, and surrounding areas.