Deputy breaks window to save toddler from 120-degree car
By: -----
Clark County, WA - Police in Washington are releasing video of a deputy rescuing a toddler from a hot car, with a timely and potentially lifesaving message.
Back on May 3, when the temperature hit 92 degrees in the state of Washington, a deputy responded to a 911 call.
Witnesses had reported seeing a child strapped into a car seat, alone in a parked car. The rear window was only slightly cracked.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office shared a video of the deputy's actions.
"Hey, this kid is like asleep, super sweaty. Windows barely cracked. I think I'm going to bust this window," he can be heard saying to his supervisor over the radio.
The deputy then moved to smash out one of the car's windows and unlock the doors.
In the video, the deputy pulls the child from the backseat. He then brought the boy to his air-conditioned patrol car and had him evaluated by medics.
"Time is of the essence on that sort of thing," said Sgt. Matt Volker with the Sheriff's Office, "On a day like 90 degree weather, a vehicle out in the sun, even if that window's cracked, that heat will jump from 90 to almost 120 degrees is what the studies show."
Investigators later determined the toddler had been left alone in the hot vehicle for about 16 minutes. They said that by the time deputies located the parents, they had been inside the nearby grocery store for nearly 30 minutes.
Both parents now face charges of reckless endangerment, and Child Protective Services was notified.