Bay Area experts simulate what a hot car feels like for a child

Name: Parents, caregivers warned of hot car danger
Uploaded: 2025-04-17T17:50:26-04:00
Description: FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

Parents, caregivers warned of hot car danger

FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Experts used a mannequin on Thursday to simulate what a child goes through during heat stroke, showing the tragic reality of just how dangerous it is to leave kids in hot cars.

"Your body can completely cease functioning," said Dr. Danielle Mercurio, an emergency center physician at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. "There’s no longer any blood supply or oxygen supply to the brain."

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and Safe Kids Florida Suncoast Coalition, led by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, held a press conference Thursday as part of Hot Car Death Prevention Month.

What they're saying:

First responders say on an 80-degree day, the temperature inside a car can jump almost 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.

"Many people are shocked to learn how hot the inside of a car can get, and they believe that leaving a crack in the window is going to prevent that heat from building up inside the car. This is not correct," said Mercurio.

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"Children can start to get rather sick when their body temperature reaches about 104 degrees," said Mercurio. "A lot of times, cars, if they're sitting in a hot parking lot, can get as high as 120 degrees."

Local perspective:

Since 2020, experts say more than 150 children across the country have died of heat stroke after being left in a hot car. Twenty-one of those deaths were in Florida.

Since 1998, 1,011 children nationwide have died. Experts say their caregivers forgot more than half of those children left in vehicles, with about 25% of the deaths coming after the child got into the car on their own.

"This issue can happen in any community, and just because it's a cold day, it can happen too," said Injury Prevention Program Manager at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Petra Stanton. "We live in sunny Florida, and it can happen any day."

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Last year, 39 children tragically died nationwide. That’s up 10 from the year before.

A one-year-old died in St. Pete in November after police said his father was supposed to drop the boy off at daycare, but had an appointment first, throwing off his schedule. He didn’t realize what had happened until he went to pick the boy up from daycare.

"While it is hard to imagine leaving the most precious possession, like your child, in the vehicle and forgetting about them, it happens. Research shows that your brain, or parents' brains, can just skip because of a simple interruption in routine," Stanton said.

What you can do:

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and the Safe Kids Florida Suncoast Coalition urge parents to use items to remind them to check the back seat.

"Preventable injuries are always the most heartbreaking. It's gut-wrenching. No one wants it to happen. So, what I would say is, whenever it is preventable, do everything that you can for your children," said Mercurio. "If it means taking off your left shoe, then take off your left shoe, or putting your cell phone in the back seat with your child just to remember that they're there because there's no turning back once it happens."

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They also recommend parking, looking in the backseat, then locking your car as part of your everyday routine and having your daycare call you if your child doesn’t show up.

The Source: FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy collected the information in this story.

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