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Connecticut doctor reminds people about the dangers of leaving kids in hot cars

It may seem like common sense, but it happens more often than some may think and it can be deadly.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Leaving kids in hot cars is a preventable tragedy that happens more often than some might think. 

As the temperatures continue to rise this week, a doctor at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital is reminding parents and guardians about the dangers of leaving little ones alone in a toasty car. 

“There’s no amount of time that is safe to leave your child in a hot car,” said Dr. Kirsten Bechtel, an attending physician at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. “Just be mindful that heat can kill, and heat related illness or heat exhaustion, heat stroke is completely preventable. And so, you want to take all the steps necessary to prevent that from happening.”

Working in the emergency department for nearly 25 years, Bechtel said she has seen cases of heat stroke due to leaving kids in hot cars before.

RELATED: Hartford leaders remind residents to check on neighbors during heat wave

“To tell a parent that their child has died from something that’s preventable is just really unfathomable,” Bechtel said.

In Connecticut, a spokesperson for AAA, Tracy Noble, said seven children have died in a hot vehicle since 1990. Across the country, Noble said 971 children have died since 1998.

“Unfortunately, when there’s changes in routine, we typically see instances of heat stroke or children being left in vehicles,” Noble said.

Noble said some newer model vehicles come with a feature to remind parents if a child is left alone in the backseat. However, most cars do not come with that technology. For those that don’t, she recommends parents or guardians leave something they need in the backseat with their children like a left shoe, a wallet or a cellphone. Some people, she said, leave a stuffed animal in the passenger seat to serve as yet another reminder.

“We need all parents and caregivers to make a concentrated effort,” Noble said.

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In some cases, Noble said deaths can happen if a car is unlocked at home, and a child gets inside. To prevent that, she recommends leaving all vehicles locked at all times.

In terms of recognizing the signs of heat stroke, Bechtel said kids can have convulsions, they can be unresponsive and their heart can stop beating. When it’s fatal, she said it’s almost always when kids are left behind in a hot car.

“And that’s something that you really want to avoid at all costs,” Bechtel said.

To a lesser degree, during the heat wave, kids can also experience heat exhaustion, which can happen from being outside for too long as the temperatures soar.

“Kids will either look really hot and sweaty or be very red and flushed. They might complain that they might want to throw up, or their heart is beating really fast and have cramps in their legs,” Bechtel said.

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Those are all symptoms Bechtel said can typically be treated with fluids, cool compresses, putting the child’s legs up and getting them inside an air-conditioned building when possible.

“The best prevention is avoidance. So, not staying out when it’s most hot during the day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is when it’s most hot,” Dr. Bechtel said.

Noble is also reminding people that it is illegal to leave children under 12 years old in cars by themselves in the state of Connecticut.

“Connecticut is one of only 20 states in the country that have laws that specifically make it illegal to leave a child in a car,” Noble said.

Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com. Follow her on FacebookX and Instagram.

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