As Pittsburgh slowly heats up, so do concerns of heat-related injuries and death. Hot days can see increased levels of injuries in young children. From pool accidents to heat exhaustion on the football field, the spring and summer are ample times for injury in the younger population.
One of the most common concerns cited with increasingly hot days is accidents in which children are left in hot cars. This may often lead to death, greatly impacting families across Pittsburgh and the rest of Pennsylvania. Call a Pittsburgh children’s injuries attorney from Shenderovich Shenderovich & Fishman today for more information regarding your options after an accident involving a child left in a hot car.
Concern for Children’s Safety in Pittsburgh
One of the primary concerns for many members of the Pittsburgh community concerns the hot car injuries and deaths of children. This event occurs when a parent, guardian, or supervisor leaves a child in a car for prolonged periods of time in which they may be susceptible to overheating. This is an especially important concern as we move into the warmer months of spring and summer.
With rising temperatures and humidity levels, cars can effectively act as greenhouses when left in the sun without running AC or ventilation. Light and heat penetrate the transparent windows of cars with no means of escape – allowing for rising temperatures on the inside. Heightened temperatures such as these are not survivable for most children, especially those younger than 15 years old. In fact, heatstroke was named as the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under the age of 14.
Tips for Avoiding Heat-Related Car Deaths in Your Community
It is important to remember that to avoid hot car deaths, parents with children must frequently check their back seats every time they get in and out of their cars. This way, it will become much more difficult to accidentally leave one of their children in the car amongst the stressors of everyday life. In addition, it is suggested that friends and family frequently check in with parents who may have a habit of leaving their children or belongings in the car for even a couple of minutes.
Finally, it may be helpful for some to leave some of their most important items like cell phones, wallets, purses, work bags, and other valuables in the backseat while they are driving so that it is properly checked before getting out of the car. Other utilities such as alarms, apps, and more could be utilized to jog the memory of a forgetful parent or guardian.
Public responses to the deaths of young children in hot cars have also gained traction in a legal sense. The Cash Edwin Jordan Act of Alabama is a great example of one of these pushes. This act would require daycares to call the child’s parent or guardian if the child has not been dropped off by 9:30 AM each morning – regardless of the daycare status as a public or private business. Additionally, some car manufacturers are pushing for changes in car mechanisms to avoid incidents such as these from occurring.
The Leading Child Injury Attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The safety of children in our community is of our utmost importance at Shenderovich Shenderovich & Fishman. We are an experienced personal injury firm operating out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can call one of our Pittsburgh children’s injuries attorneys today at 888-98 TWINS (8-9467) at any time of the day to discuss how we can help you after an accident involving a child left in a hot car.