FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County deputies smashed a car window on Monday to rescue a 1-year-old who was locked inside with the engine off and the windows closed.
The Sheriff’s Office said her parents accidentally locked her in the car with the keys inside during a shopping trip.
The little girl, who is OK, was in the car for about 10 minutes, but it doesn’t take long for the temperatures to rise to dangerous levels.
The deputy used Shatterballs to break the rear passenger window and then used his baton to clear the remaining glass so they could safely open the door and get the little girl out.
In just about 10 minutes, she was already sweating and in distress.
The video shared by the Sheriff’s Office (watch above) highlights a serious danger as we head into the hot summer months because these stories don’t always have happy endings.
A new report from Kids and Car Safety reveals Florida, Texas, and California lead the nation for hot car deaths. Florida is No. 2.
The report says from 1990 through 2023, 118 children in Florida have died in a hot car. In the bulk of those cases, the child was unknowingly left in the car.
The top scenario was a change in routine where the child was supposed to be dropped off at a day care.
“First of all, understand that this can happen to absolutely anyone,” said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety.
She said one thing parents can do as a safeguard is to put something in the backseat, like a purse or their lunch, to ensure they always check the backseat before walking away from their car.
“We have a program called ‘Look Before You Lock.’ It’s real simple. As soon as you park your car, look in the backseat. Look Before You Lock,” Fennell said.
There are other cases where the child somehow got access to the car without the parent knowing or
Fennell said it’s also important that people write to their lawmakers to make sure they do what they can to equip all new cars with the right safety features.
“Well, the good news is we actually did get legislation passed. It was part of the infrastructure bill. So right now, the government is writing the regulation that says what needs to be done and added to vehicles. They’re behind. They were supposed to have it finished by November of 2023. So we need to push to make sure our legislators keep pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get this rule written and get that technology in vehicles.”
Parents are reminded to always pay attention and look in the backseat, no matter what.