The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 11, in Wrocław, at a time when a wave of scorching heat had swept across all of Lower Silesia and cars parked outside were turning into hot traps.
Despite appeals from officers, one of the residents of the regional capital left his 7-year-old son in a car parked in front of a large supermarket. Fortunately, customers noticed the boy and called the emergency services.
When officers from the Prevention and Patrol Division of the Municipal Police Headquarters arrived at the scene, they found two people who had reported the incident. They said that several minutes earlier they had noticed a child left unattended in a heated car. They tried to get into the vehicle, but it was locked. None of the windows was open either.
They informed the store staff, who repeatedly—but unsuccessfully—tried to summon the vehicle’s owner over the loudspeaker. Since no one responded to the announcements and the boy locked inside the car had his eyes closed, witnesses and security staff tried to make contact with the child. He woke up only after several attempts, when someone knocked hard on the car window.
The 7-year-old managed to open the door, and the people present were immediately hit by the hot air trapped inside the car. The child was soaked in sweat, and it was also clear that he was not fully aware of what was happening around him.
The boy was immediately placed in the care of a medical emergency team. According to the paramedics, if the child had remained in such a heated vehicle for even a few more minutes, his life could have been in danger.
The boy’s father arrived at the scene several minutes later. He was very surprised to see the police officers and paramedics. He said that his son had fallen asleep in the car and that he had not wanted to wake him. He also said he had been in the store for only a few minutes. However, witnesses unanimously stated that it could have lasted more than half an hour.
The boy’s mother was called to the scene and took over his care. The boy’s father, meanwhile, was arrested by the police. If it is established that the 35-year-old’s irresponsible conduct exposed his son to a risk of loss of life or injury, he could face up to five years in prison.
The court will decide the suspect’s further fate.
Officers:
We appeal to residents not to remain indifferent when they see a child or animal locked in a car, especially on these very hot days, and to immediately inform the emergency services about such situations.
They add:
As scientific studies show, the interior of a car left in full sunlight can become so hot—even when the ambient temperature is only 21°C—that staying inside poses a threat to health and life.
When the outdoor temperature is 33°C, the temperature inside a parked car can reach 50° after 20 minutes and almost 60° after 40 minutes.