Wood County Safe Communities announced today that there have been 7 fatal crashes in Wood County for calendar year 2017, compared to 4 for the same time frame in 2016.
Outside of crashes, heatstroke is the number one vehicle-related killer of children in the United States. In fact, in 2016, there were 39 preventable deaths of children in vehicles, a 63% increase from 2015.
Simple steps for caregivers to prevent heatstroke:
- NEVER leave a child in a vehicle unattended. Even for a minute.
- Make it a habit to look in the back seat when exiting the car – EVERY time.
- ALWAYS lock the care and put the keys out of reach of children.
Simple steps for bystanders to prevent heatstroke:
- Make sure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call 911 immediately.
- If the child appears to be okay, attempt to locate the parents or have the facility’s security or management page the car owner over the PA system.
- If there is someone with you, have one person actively search for the parent while the other waits at the car.
- If the child is not responsive or appears to be in distress, attempt to get into the car to assist the child – even if that means breaking a window.
A child’s body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult, and heatstroke can occur with outside temperatures as low as 57 degrees. On an 80-degree day, a car can reach a deadly heat level in just about 10 minutes.
Look Before You Lock!
For More Information:
- Angel Burgos, Ohio State Highway Patrol: 419-352-2481
- Sandy Wiechman, Safe Communities Coordinator:
419-372-9353 or swiechm@bgsu.edu