# Kid Trapped in Car on Hot Day **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476 "2011-05-27T19:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/1 "2011-05-27T19:41:21Z")
You are about to walk into the grocery store, when you notice a red SUV with a baby in a car seat. The SUV is located about 60 feet from the front of the store. It is a hot day (perhaps 90F), and all the windows in the vehicle are up. As you observe the baby, you see her eyes are closed and she is not moving. The doors are all locked. With little time to think, what do you do in the next 60 seconds? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/2 "2011-05-27T19:47:32Z")
I’d find something to break the car window open in a heartbeat. Why wouldn’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/3 "2011-05-27T19:47:38Z")
Probably call 911 while running into the store - maybe they can overhead page the car owner while emergency assistance is being summoned. Even if the owner responds quickly, the baby may still need aid. Oh, and I don’t typically have anything to break a window, but they probably would inside the store. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/4 "2011-05-27T19:48:05Z")
Feel the hood of the car, the tailpipe, perhaps the rims. If it seems like it didn’t just arrive there I’d call 911. The chances of tracking down the owner in a grocery store would be slim, but I’d probably have the “owner of a red SUV, license plate blah, blah, blah” paged." I’d tell the pager what was going on and then go back outside. If no one arrived within 5 minutes, the window is getting broken. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/5 "2011-05-27T19:49:53Z")
After trying the doors to see if they’re locked (and assuming they are) run back to my car to find something I can break a window, one away from the baby, with and do it. I’ll worry about calling 911 _after_ I see how the baby is. Hopefully she’s breathing since it’s been ten years since I’ve taken a CPR class. If she’s not, we’re running inside for help. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/6 "2011-05-27T20:04:22Z")
Had this happen some years back, (pre cheap, ubiquitous cell phones). I was making a delivery at a small medical/dental office mall and I noticed a baby in one of the cars. (SF Bay Area summer) Rapped on the window which woke the kid and started him crying strongly so I figured he wasn’t on death’s door. Called my dispatcher on the radio and had them call the local police who showed up _damned_ fast. I never did find out what happened as I left my info with the officers and had to get going on my other deliveries. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/7 "2011-05-27T20:04:51Z")
I wouldn’t break open a window because it would probably be misunderstood. I don’t tend to have a mobile phone on me, so I would head into the store. But I wouldn’t get someone to page the owner, I’d find the first store employee I could to explain the situation and get help ASAP. I live in Texas - the “perhaps 90F” days end sometime in April and don’t start again till October. Leaving a baby in a closed car for even a few minutes can be deadly in summer. I’d bed the store security people would have a person out there to break the windows in less than 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/8 "2011-05-27T20:08:38Z")
If I thought the car had been there for any length of time, and the kid didn’t respond when I rapped the glass, I’d try to open a door. Failing that, I’d break a window. I don’t like that option much, as flying glass (even safety glass) can be dangerous, but a hot car is worse. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/9 "2011-05-27T20:19:06Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I wouldn’t break open a window because it would probably be misunderstood. So? Even if you end up having to explain yourself to the police, you’re not the one who’d get into legal trouble - the person who left the baby in the car would. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/10 "2011-05-27T20:31:30Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > You are about to walk into the grocery store, when you notice a red SUV with a baby in a car seat. The SUV is located about 60 feet from the front of the store. It is a hot day (perhaps 90F), and all the windows in the vehicle are up. > > As you observe the baby, you see her eyes are closed and she is not moving. The doors are all locked. > > With little time to think, what do you do in the next 60 seconds? This is timely, because just this week in Austin someone left a baby in the car on the hottest day of the year. ☹ I think I would immediately yell for help right there in the parking lot. Get a bunch of people around, have someone call 911, have someone go inside to tell the manager to get on the loudspeaker, and the rest of us would do the stuff (see if the car is warm, if the baby is responsive) on the spot. I think within seconds we would collectively know if we needed to break a window. ETA: is this some kind of psychological test? I just noticed the OP mentioned it was a red SUV… why would that matter? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/11 "2011-05-27T20:44:15Z")
Other. I would spend some time observing. Is the baby happily asleep and just fine? Is her mother rushing out of the grocery store right now? Is there someone else around who had seen how long the baby had been in there? Is there an adult passed out on the floor of the SUV? Your OP presupposes that there is little time to think for no rational reason. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/12 "2011-05-27T20:50:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Other. I would spend some time observing. Is the baby happily asleep and just fine? How are you supposed to tell “happily asleep” from “passed out from heatstroke”? The baby being “asleep” is the worst-case scenario. If the baby is awake and moving, then at least you know it’s still alive and you might have time to find the parents instead of breaking in immediately. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/13 "2011-05-27T21:08:40Z")
I would call 911 first. When I took a CPR class last summer, they told us that in the event of an emergency the first thing you want to do is make sure 911 is being called, because that will get the experts to the scene and the dispatcher is trained and can give you instructions if you freak out or aren’t sure what to do or whatever. After I did that, I would do what the dispatcher told me and start more closely examining the kid’s condition and looking for a way into the car. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/14 "2011-05-27T21:11:19Z")
First I’d try the door to see if it was locked. Assuming it was, I’d call 911 on my way into the store for help. I don’t keep a rock in my purse to break the window with. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/15 "2011-05-27T21:12:28Z")
Yeah, I’d call 911 and follow the instructions given by the dispatcher. If they instructed me to break the window, I would. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/16 "2011-05-27T21:26:02Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > How are you supposed to tell “happily asleep” from “passed out from heatstroke”? The baby being “asleep” is the worst-case scenario. If the baby is awake and moving, then at least you know it’s still alive and you might have time to find the parents instead of breaking in immediately. By waiting 3 more seconds to see if she opens her eyes and smiles, or tapping on the window (not one of the options in the poll) to see if she responded. I’d also look closely to make sure it wasn’t a doll strapped into a car seat. You can’t react to an unknown situation as if every second was a matter of life and death. It rarely is, but an over-reaction like trying to break a window could end up making the situation worse. If I had no more indications of the condition of the girl, I’d call 911 before doing anything else. Sadly, part of the reason for doing that is to protect myself. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/17 "2011-05-27T21:35:27Z")
Yup, call 911 and let them guide you through. It solves a lot of issues after the incident. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/18 "2011-05-27T21:40:12Z")
Assuming the owner of the car is not immediately apparent, I’d bang on the window to alert/startle the baby. If it responds, I’d call 911 and take direction from them. If it didn’t, I’d try to break a window and \*then \*call 911. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/19 "2011-05-27T21:51:28Z")
Been there and done it last year. The only difference was that there were three kids instead of a single. I notified security who promptly called 911. The “mother” was still explaining herself to the cops when I left. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476/20 "2011-05-27T23:11:38Z")
I’d call the cops assuming they’d show up in less than 60 seconds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kid-trapped-in-car-on-hot-day/583476.md?page=2)