Authorities Warn of Rising Incidents of Children Left in Hot Cars in Maine
BATH, ME—Public safety departments in Maine are reporting an uptick in calls regarding children left unattended in vehicles as temperatures rise.
The Bath Police Department issued a warning on social media on Thursday, emphasizing the dangers of leaving young children in hot cars, even for brief periods. Authorities stated that such actions could lead to serious injury and potential criminal charges for the responsible adult.
Similarly, the Topsham Police Department sent out a reminder that temperatures inside parked cars can escalate quickly, reaching hazardous levels in minutes, even with cracked windows. “Young children are especially vulnerable to heat-related illnesses,” the department cautioned.
Officials advise that anyone witnessing a distressed child alone in a vehicle should call 911 immediately and stay with the vehicle until help arrives.
According to the organization No Heat Stroke, heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash-related vehicle deaths for children aged 14 and younger in the U.S. Since 1998, over 1,050 children have died nationwide from vehicular heatstroke, with 31 fatalities last year and 10 reported so far in 2023.
Of these incidents, approximately 53% resulted from a child being forgotten in the vehicle, 22% from being intentionally left, and about 24% from children gaining access on their own. In Maine, three children have died from vehicular heatstroke since 1998.
Texas has recorded the highest number of pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths in this timeframe, with 155. The years 2018 and 2019 saw the greatest number of fatalities, each with 53 child deaths.