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Child deaths in cars stem from routine change

DENVER – Every summer, kids suffer heatstroke, and in some cases, die after being left in hot cars. Registered nurse Phyllis Larimore says kids left in cars can suffer fatal hyperthermia in just minutes, even when the outside temperature is mild. A change in routine, she said, is often behind these tragedies.

“Children have stopped going to school or someone else is taking them to the day care, so there’s something new,” says Larimore. “These things happen across all socioeconomic stratas. All types of parents.”

Earlier this year, a Mesa County woman was found guilty of child abuse after she left her two sons in her car to have sex with her boyfriend. The two boys died of hyperthermia, and the woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of her sons. According to the Kids and Cars website, nearly 400 children died in hot cars in the United States during the last decade, an average of some 38 deaths per year.

The summer heat and humidity can also spell trouble for kids who spend time outdoors, as a child’s body heats up much faster than an adult. Dr. Eric Kirkendall says that makes them more susceptible to heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heatstroke.

“That includes hot, flushed skin typically associated with high fevers, over 104 degrees,” says Kirkendall. “That’s when kids will also begin to have altered mental states. They’ll start getting really confused, and in some of the worst cases have seizures.”

A pediatrician, Kirkendall says to protect against heat-related illnesses, parents need to make sure their children stay hydrated and that exposure to the sun is limited.



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