A 1-year-old child who was accidentally locked up inside a car was rescued by a quick-thinking Florida deputy.
The incident took place on Monday, May 20, in the parking lot of a Walmart in Florida’s Flagler County.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office revealed on social media that they received a call from a woman saying her daughter had accidentally been locked inside a vehicle and needed assistance.
After deputies arrived at the scene, a man revealed that he had “placed the child in the vehicle, gone around to the other side, and discovered the door was locked and the keys were locked inside the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
"How long has she been in there?" one deputy was heard asking in the video.
"About 10 minutes," replied the woman.
Deputies arrived at the parking lot after a woman called 911 and said her daughter was locked up inside a vehicle
Image credits: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
Temperatures in the area that day reportedly reached 80 degrees.
The deputy revealed that he had no choice but to smash the window to save the child.
“Due to the heat, deputies observed the child to be sweating and appearing to be in distress,” the sheriff’s office added.
Bodycam footage captured the moment when the window was shattered and the child was retrieved. Her condition was deemed stable despite the sweltering hot temperature.
“Thanks to the quick response of our deputies, this child was safely rescued, and a tragic incident was avoided,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the statement. "Although this was an accident, I would like to take this time to remind parents of the dangers of leaving a child in a parked car at any time, especially if it is not running. Heatstroke can happen very quickly, even if it does not seem that hot outside. Remember, if it has a heartbeat, do not leave them in your car.”
The child was found sweating and "appearing to be in distress," according to the deputies on the scene
Image credits: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
Several people online thanked the deputies for their quick action and for saving the child from further harm.
“Omg poor baby. Thank you for saving her,” one said on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another wrote on Facebook, “Great job officers.”
“Thank you so much for saving this child. Unfortunately I see these too often in my occupation and it is a blessing to see a child was saved,” read another comment.
One said, “This happened to me many years ago. It was very scary and was a total accident on my part.”
"Omg poor baby. Thank you for saving her," the internet said after a video of the incident was shared online
Child deaths due to heatstroke after being left alone in a car are an issue that has gained widespread attention over the years. In 2023, 29 children lost their lives in hot car deaths in the U.S., and the average number of children under the age of 15 losing their lives in this manner is 38 per year.
“The most common response is that only bad or negligent parents forget kids in cars. It’s a matter of circumstances. It can happen to everyone,” David Diamond, PhD, a professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told Consumer Reports.
“The worst thing any parent or caregiver can ever do is to think that something like this could never happen to them or someone in their family,” Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, a group that tracks incidents like these, told the outlet.
For tips on how to prevent a hot-car tragedy, click here.