On Saturday, July 25th, in Dallas Texas, a three-year-old child was left in his families car "accidently".After the assembly had started, the parents of the toddlerrealized that their youngest child was missing.
45 minutes after arriving at the assembly, the father ran out into the parking lot to find the child unresponsive. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
This is a common occurrencewhen A child dies of a heat stroke when left unattended even for a short time in a car.
How can this be prevented you ask? Whan happens to cause a heat stroke?
Did you know that an estimated 50% of all childdeathsrelated to heat strokewere due to the parents forgetting the child was in the car?
As shocking as that sounds, it is quite easy to forget sometimes. The most dangerous mistake a parent can make is by thinking they could never forget and leave their child in a hot car.
Heatstroke
HeatStroke (hyperthermia) is a growing cause of death for children each year. With the Heat index rising by epic proportions, It is even more dangerous with each passing Year.
The temperatures sore all over the globe, rendering us helpless to the many problems caused by global warming.
The "Greenhouse" Effect.
Just like in a house made of all glass, A car can provide the same effect.
Heat enters is and can't so easily escape. Here is a list of things that happen in those conditions:
- The Inside of the car can heat up to a staggering 125 degrees Instantly.
- Contrary to popular belief, cracking the window does not slow the baking process
- Most of the heating process happens in the first ten minutes
So leaving the child just for a few minutes is just as tragic as half an hour.
Using precautions are extremely important when going to the store with your child. This also can go for a pet as well.
Statistics
From 1991 to present, almost 800 children have tragically died due to parents forgetting their child was in the car and running into the store.
One child dying this way is just too many. Like I have stated before, the worst attitude to have is that this will never happen to you.
The Heat alone can cause the human mind to forget things. No one is exempt from this fact.
So what can we do to help remember? There are many ways to help you remember things. All of us have a limitless capacity in our brain that helps us to remember things, but sadly we may need a little help.
Here is a list of things to do to help you remember not to leave your child in a hot car.
- Convert words to images.This can help when we take things "back to basics" to not stress our brains in the heat.
- Constantly think of your children the whole trip. Do not take them off your mind at any time.
- If all else fails, you can always tie a string around your finger. People have been doing this one for years, but a little warning: Do not forget the string is around your finger.
In conclusion, We are responsible for our children.
We now know that this can happen to anyone.
We need to keep our minds clear in this heat and focus on our kids.
Awareness can mean one less child death, and can catch on extremely quickly around the neighborhood.
