Rescuing The Baby

Ben ran to unlock the car and Nikki rushed in to grab the baby from the back seat. The baby was crying hysterically by this point. His face was red but he didn’t seem to have any injuries, despite the ordeal he was in. However, it is undoubtful that the baby escaped a pretty bad situation. As per the news, the heat index that day was 116°F.

Social Services

Nikki’s call came through, and the parking lot was flooded with police cars and social service workers. The mother of the child was found shopping in a nearby store. She could not be less bothered by the whole situation, all she cared to say was “Can I have my baby back?” But the police refused blankly. They had to investigate this case further.

Repeated Occurrence

Unfortunately, this was not the only case that had come to the police’s attention. There have been several cases in which a parent left their kid behind in a hot car unaware of the circumstances. San Jose State University’s Department of Meteorology and Climate Science indicates that between the years 1998 and 2018 a staggering amount of 792 kids have passed away due to such instances in the U.S. alone.

Public Awareness

Despite raising public awareness, similar cases resulting in death keep happening. In NYC, a father locked his 1-year-old twins in his car for several hours. The twins were found in a horrifying state with their core body temperature being 108°F. However, in Ben’s case, paramedics were not sure about how long the baby was in the car when he found him, but at least he was able to save his life.

Forget Me Not

Several states across the U.S. introduced a law called “Forget Me Not Vehicle Safety Act” back in 2008. The law states that children under the age of seven are not to be left alone in the car, “if the conditions including – but not limited to – extreme weather, inadequate ventilation or hazardous or malfunctioning components within the vehicle present a risk to the health or safety of the unattended child.”

Violating The Law

The mother was charged a fine of $250 as she violated the Forget Me Not Vehicle Safety Act. Since this was the first time she had dishonored the law, the police called off the social services and gave the baby back to her with a warning. And as a safety measure, the local Department of Human Services will be looking into the child’s care.