3 men in hot car hope to raise awareness of heat dangers
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – With a string of hot days, here’s an important reminder for you: Don’t leave kids or pets in the car.
The temperature inside a car could quickly turn deadly.
Three adults inside a car pushing 100 degrees was painful, but doable.
“We’ve only been in 15 minutes, and this is miserable,” Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said. “I mean, I am not comfortable.”
But children heat up 5 times faster than adults, so if you think a car in 80 degree weather is safe because you could survive, think twice.
Hot car safety
“That core temperature builds up in that car, once that core temperature starts getting up over 100, especially over 100, for children,” Wayne Township Fire Department Capt. Michael Pruitt said. “It reached 105, now we’re talking deadly. So, it doesn’t take long for that core temperature, so that’s your body heat plus the car heat combined together to raise that temperature. So it can turn deadly within just a matter of minutes.”
It had been less than a half hour when Pruitt, Perrine, and retired NBA player Scot Pollard threw in the towel.
“We’ve been in 20 minutes,” Perrine said. “It’s 112 degrees. We need to get out. “
The temperature had risen about 40 degrees inside the car. That was enough to start affecting the health of the guys inside.
“I started getting a headache,” Pollard said. “And I was starting to feel not very good. I actually kind of said I’ve got to stop first.”
Last year, 50 kids across the nation died because someone was careless. One died in Iowa last weekend. These three adults wanted to show the consequences so the number of fatalities stays low this year.
“If we can save one life, one life in this country because of this, then I’ll take this misery every day for the rest of my life,” Perrine said. “Because I’m miserable.”
Police and fire recommend getting into the routine of checking your back seat before getting out of your car so there is absolutely no way that you’ve accidentally left a child or a pet in a dangerous situation.
If you see anyone leaving kids or pets inside their car, you should call police right away.