A glitch in her key automatically locked Marion’s car, with her purse and 12-month-old baby trapped inside. She tells us about these long minutes of anguish and how she had to fend for herself.
It’s 8:15 a.m.: the time Marion takes her son Théo to the childminder before going to work. Like every morning, she puts him in the car seat, makes sure to fasten him properly and places the baby’s meal bag on the front seat of the car. This time, she drops her purse in there too, before closing the doors and walking around to settle in and get going. But while walking away from the vehicle (a Renault Captur, editor’s note), Marion hears the door lock automatically even though the key is inside. “At this moment, there is panic! Usually the car locks itself when I walk away from the car with the key on me, in case I forgot to lock it, but this was a huge bug” she tells us. She understands at this moment that she will have to quickly find a solution before her baby starts to realize a problem, to cry and to panic.
“My first instinct was to contact the police, who redirected me to the fire brigade, but they made me understand that it was not a life-threatening emergency and that I had to manage alone or call on the help of a passer-by“. Problem: Marion is in an underground car park, does not have the key to exit (or enter to see if baby is okay), and only has her cell phone in her pocket. She then tries to call the dad, who has already left for work, but the latter replies that he can be there within… around thirty minutes.
No time to wait. Théo’s mother opens the parking door, waves and manages to alert the building’s cleaner, who comes to help her find a solution. “I saw him try to roll down the window with his hands, to force on the seals, on the door… I was ready for anything as long as we managed to get my baby out of there. But the minutes passed , no attempt was successful. From the moment my baby started crying, I think my maternal instinct took over“, says Marion. Neither one nor two, she promises to get her son out of the car in a minute. “My brain has switched a bit! I said to myself, “Marion, you only have yourself to rely on, and even if you’ve never broken a car window in your life, you’re going to do it now.”“.
The young mother then runs around the parking lot, looking for an accessory that will allow her to break the tile. She tries with a broom, but nothing works. Then, came across a small wooden beam, heavy enough, positioned it on the very small front triangle of the car (to limit broken glass) and in two moves, the matter was settled. “I was able to reach in to collect my bag and keys, open the doors and take my baby in my arms, crying (just like me). A relief ! But since then, I never close a door without having opened another“, testifies Marion. Fortunately, Théo, installed with his back facing the road, did not receive any piece of glass and was not traumatized by this adventure either.