LAFAYETTE — More than 1,000 children have died of heatstroke after being left in a hot vehicle over the past 25 years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Lafayette Police Sgt. Matthew Benoit said temperatures inside a parked vehicle can rise quickly.
"So a vehicle, when it's not running and the windows are up, 10 minutes it can rise 20 degrees inside that vehicle, right? So a small child, their bodies, their body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult," he said.
NHTSA said children begin experiencing heatstroke when their core body temperature reaches 104 degrees. Death can occur once it reaches 107 degrees or higher.
"If you see that child is in distress, whether that's, you know, they're unresponsive, you know, extreme sweating, all these different things, you know, rapid breathing, crying — several things that will show you that this child is in distress. We need you to call 911," Benoit said.
While many new car models include built-in systems that alert drivers if a car seat or child is detected in the back seat, he said there are additional steps drivers can take.
"I would take my left shoe off my foot when I'm driving my truck, and I put it on the back seat, so this may seem extreme to some people, right, but the reality is you will never get out of your vehicle with just one shoe on and walk into work," he said.
If a child is spotted alone in a hot vehicle, Benoit said calling 911 is not the only step bystanders should take.
"We need you to force your way into that vehicle by whatever means necessary, and the Good Samaritan laws will cover you on that. Louisiana revised statute 37:1738 actually covers citizens or people that are forcefully entering a vehicle to remove a child in distress, so you don't have to worry about the legality of it on the back end," Benoit said.
