News of a little child locked in car with keys inside has been reported in Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao.
The incident apparently happened at a car park at Block 138A Toa Payoh Lorong 1, on the evening of April 4, 2018.
Child Locked In Car With Keys Inside
According to reports, the boy’s father had got out of the car to get something from the left passenger seat. Only, he had given his 3-year-old son (who was sitting in a car seat) the car keys.
When his father was outside the car, the little boy accidentally pressed the lock button, leaving him locked inside. The boy did not know how to unlock the car, causing much distress.
At first, the father thought of calling a locksmith, but fearing that it would take long, he decided to alert the SCDF. The child was trapped inside for half an hour.
The SCDF officers arrived at around 7 pm, and rescued the toddler using a tool to open the car’s doors. Thankfully, the boy was uninjured and did not need medical attention.
A similar case was reported recently, on Mar 22, 2018, when a maid accidentally locked a 3-month-old baby inside the car. The father had then rescued the baby by using a hammer to smash one of the windows.
Child locked in car with keys inside: Why you should worry
Once again, it is important to iterate the dangers of leaving children inside locked cars. A child’s body heats up to 4 times faster than an adult’s. And cars heat up quickly too! In just 10 minutes, the temperature inside a vehicle can rise by nearly 20ºF.
Heat stroke or hyperthermia can happen when the body is not able to cool itself quickly enough.
Heatstroke occurs when a person’s body temperature exceeds 104°F. At 107ºF, cells are damaged and internal organs begin to shut down. This can lead to devastating injury, permanent brain damage or death.
How you can prevent hot car tragedies
- Never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute.
- Always look before you lock. Check the back seats of your vehicle before your lock it and walk away. Create reminders to check the back seat, by putting something important next to your child, such as a briefcase, purse or cell phone.
- Keep your car locked when you are not in it so kids don’t gain access.
- Make sure that the kids don’t have access to the car keys. Teach your children that cars are not safe places to play.
- If someone else is driving your child, always check to make sure your child has arrived safely.
- If you see a child alone in a locked up car, do not wait for too long for the driver to return. Call 999 and alert the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) immediately.
Also READ: Their baby died because she was forgotten in her car seat
(Source: Lianhe Wanbao)