GLASTONBURY--It's summer, and while it's hot outside, it's even hotter in your car that's turned off and sitting outside with the windows rolled up.
Infants, pets and elderly people are at risk of falling ill or worse, dying, if left in hot cars, yet it happens all the time. So why do people keep doing it?
You may not realize, but in just 20 minutes a car can hit deadly temperatures, and it's even worse for kids: a child's body temperature rises nearly five times faster than and adult's!
On Monday, fire and EMS officials held a demonstration to show how being left in a hot car can hurt a person, and how to save someone if you see them suffering.
Two volunteers sat in the back of a black car while the temperature outside was 90 degrees. The car was off, and the windows were rolled up. The volunteers said it took less than a minute for the air to change and become thick, and hot.
"We were in there for 20 minutes and the temperature rose up to almost 110 degrees, and this isn't even that hot of a day out," said Chrissy Monaco, of Monaco Ford.
That means the temperature rose about 1 degree per minute after the car was turned off.
If you see someone left in a locked car on a hot day call 911, but if you're in a remote area you may need to take matters in your own hands. If you need to, use something sharp and heavy, and hit the corner of the window--a weak spot. Just make sure you're breaking the window furthest from the child or pet, and while you're working wear sunglasses and use something like a t-shirt to protect your hands from the glass.
