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As temperatures rose into triple-digit numbers across the nation last week, so did the warnings about leaving children in hot vehicles.
It's a tragedy that occurs every year but can easily be prevented, said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide.
Two years ago, 50 children were killed from heat exhaustion while being left inside a vehicle, Carr said. The number dropped to 33 last year, but it's a number Carr wants to see go down to zero.
"It's a totally preventable injury," Carr said. "So far this year, six children have been killed. That's six too many."
Carr said over half of the fatalities occur when a parent accidentally leaves a child in the car doing something that isn't part of their daily routine.
"A lot of people say, 'How could that happen?' When your day has changed somewhat, your brain locks into the normal routine, and they forget," Carr said.
Depending on the state and the situation, parents and caregivers can be charged with child endangerment and manslaughter, even if the kids are left unintentionally.
An Associated Press 10-year analysis showed that in the 310 fatalities that occurred from children dying from hyperthermia after being trapped in a vehicle, charges are filed in half the cases.
Sometimes parents intentionally leave their children in the car to run a quick errand. But in the heat waves the country's been seeing recently, a car's temperature in an asphalt parking lot can climb 20 degrees every 10 minutes.
In addition to the quickly rising heat, children's bodies heat up much faster than an adult's, Carr said. Children's internal systems are not fully developed, so they don't sweat as much and absorb heat faster.
Carr said that once the child's body temperature reaches 104 degrees, their internal organs begin to shut down. At 107 degrees, a child dies.
Safe Kids Worldwide launched a campaign that passes on the message to parents to never leave children alone in the car, not even for a minute. Parents and caregivers should be mindful that it's not just an issue for states with typical warm climates, or for the summer months of June, July and August. These fatalities are recorded 11 months of the year in almost every single state, Carr said.
"This is something to be aware of all the time," she said.
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During Sunday's race, the skies will be variably cloud with the risk of a few showers.
Severe weather and drenching downpours will affect parts of the Plains and Midwest over the Memorial Day Weekend.
With one day remaining before Memorial Day weekend, the Sandy-battered Jersey coastline is hustling to finish last-minute preparations.
The Memorial Day weekend will begin nasty with wind, rain and chill in New England and part of the mid-Atlantic.
A strengthening storm system will spread heavy rainfall across the Yangtze River Valley from Friday night through Sunday night.
"We can and must do more relative to severe weather," AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers testified on Thursday, May 23, 2013, during a hearing called Restoring U.S. Leadership in Weather Forecasting.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
North Texas (1986)
Severe thunderstorms produced 95 mph wind
gusts and widespread damage. More than 3" of
rain fell in less than an hour. A 29 year old
women and 6 year old daughter drowned when the
underpass they were driving into was flooded
out.
West Coast (1982)
Heat wave:
San Francisco, CA 91 degrees, (new record;
previous record 79 in 1975)
San Jose, CA 84 degrees
Portland, OR 85 degrees (tied record)
Newton, NJ (1925)
96 degrees on the 23rd; 39 degrees on the morning
of the 24th.
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