One day last week, a mother drove to the market at Bangplasoi sub-district in Chonburi taking her toddler son with her.
Craving for a bowl of the famous ‘boat noodles’, she parked her car in front of the noodle shop and without a second thought, and with the engine running, she hopped out of the car leaving her baby boy alone on the front seat.
Little babies become restless as they usually do and so the toddler stood up on the seat and explored.
He saw little buttons everywhere. Curiosity got the better of him and he started to fiddle with the ones he could reach. The one at the side of the door fascinated him the most and he pushed it. All of a sudden clicks were heard from inside all the doors. He had locked himself in the car.
His mother must have been gone for about 20 minutes, but can you imagine when she came back to the car to find the doors locked and her baby stuck inside. Try as she might, she could not open the doors.
Panic set in as she screamed for help. People in the area rushed to the rescue and at the same time called the Thamrasamee-maneerat Foundation rescue unit who rushed to the scene.
Experts as they are in opening locked car doors; they used an air wedge to make a gap between the window and the door frame and released the locking mechanism.
During this whole commotion the baby seemed amused and didn’t look frightened at all.
As soon as the door was unlocked, a rescue unit officer gently lifted the brave boy out of the car and gently placed him in the arms of his still shocked but relieved mother.
As the potentially tragic ordeal came to a happy end, the boy’s father arrived on the scene with the spare keys. He pointed the remote at the car and pressed a button. Voila all the doors unlocked.
This is a very stern lesson to all parents and caretakers of little children.
Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle for any amount of time – even a quick trip into the store is too long. Accidents happen, and 33 percent of children who die from being left in a hot car are less than one year old. They may be asleep when you leave the car and not be aware or able to remind you that they’re there.
Follow these tips to keep your little ones safe:
– Make a habit of checking your vehicle before leaving it.
– Put your purse, briefcase, or phone in the backseat so you will have to check the back when you arrive at your destination.
– Keep a stuffed animal or other reminder next to you in the car as a cue that your child is with you.
– If you see a child left alone in a car, contact the police or call 191.
– Use a Baby Safety Snap
 |
 |
 |
