Published ,
Reading 2 mins.
in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
June 27, 2022
On Monday, a father forgot his child in a car in Saint-Nazaire. The baby, dehydrated, died a few hours later. How to avoid these tragedies?
On Monday, a young father employed at the Saint-Nazaire hospital forgot his one-year-old baby in his car. Unfortunately, the child did not survive.
Saint-Nazaire: a child found dead in a car
This Monday, while on his way to work at Saint-Nazaire hospital, a father forgot to drop off his 12-month-old baby at the crèche, leaving him in his car in full sun, under more than 28 °C.
In the evening, he discovers his lifeless child in the car seat of the vehicle. The baby, who died of dehydration, could not be revived by the emergency services.
A drama that could however be avoided even if in this case, as in the majority of these dramas, it is an involuntary oversight. Scientists speak of the “forgotten baby syndrome”.
“Leaving your child alone in a car, even with the windows open, makes no sense, it’s criminal. You should never leave a child unattended. The car is an oven and with the heat , a child becomes dehydrated very quickly”recalls Dr. Kierzek.
In fact, young children do not have a sufficiently advanced heat regulation system to deal with it. They therefore cool or heat up much faster and can only withstand limited temperature variations. Also, the smaller the baby, the greater the risk. A tragedy quickly happened.
Child left alone in a car: what are the risks?
For lack of time, convenience or forgetfulness, parents sometimes leave their offspring in the car. Serious error: this one represents a serious threat in children.
In addition to the risk of dehydration, it can indeed be the seat of many accidents.
A child left alone in a car may for example be tempted to put small items in his mouth (keys, pen cap, toys, cork, pin, etc.) and then swallow. Without the presence of an adult, he risks suffocation.
Other risky situations may arise, such as theft of the vehicle or a collision. Without an adult, the child is not protected and may succumb to potential injuries.
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Follow the Italian example?
In several countries, the simple fact of locking one or more children in a car is considered an offence, which can be punished by a fine.
In Italy, parents, grandparents and carers of children are thus obliged to install an alarm system on the car seats of their children under 4 years old, which alerts them in the event of forgetfulness. The device is equipped with an alarm to warn them of the presence of the child thanks to audible or visual signals, perceptible inside and outside the vehicle