she leaves her three children in the car to do her shopping

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This Thursday afternoon, July 30, west of Toulouse, three children aged between 1 and 6 were found alone in a car, in a heatwave, while their mother was inside a supermarket.


by Suruthi Srikumar

Under this heat episode, the temperatures quickly become difficult to bear. This Thursday, July 31, in the afternoon, when the mercury had exceeded the 37 ° C mark, the customers of the Leader Price supermarket located in Plaisance-du-Touch (Haute-Garonne) noticed the presence of a vehicle parked in the parking lot with three small children on board, without the presence of an adult.

The alert to the emergency services and the police was immediately given by the customers. Children aged 1, 3 and 6 were rescued and cooled with bottles of water. The three victims suffered from heatstroke. The mother, a 26-year-old woman, arrived with the groceries in hand when firefighters responded. Obviously very surprised, she says she is "absent for only half an hour". She was then taken to the Plaisance-du-Touch brigade to be heard in a free hearing. The toddlers, whose health did not require transport to hospital, were also present. She was then allowed to leave with her children but she will soon be summoned by the courts.

What to do to save a child or an animal in a vehicle?

If you witness such a dangerous situation, you can take action, provided you have a witness with you. Indeed, the first instinct would be to intervene by breaking a window to rescue the child or animal inside the car. But the law can quickly work against you, if the owner disputes your side of the story, for example. On its Twitter account, the Interior Ministry therefore wanted to clarify how to intervene in such a scenario. First, you have to call the police, who have the right to open the vehicle, and finally, you have to call for help.

But in some cases, the situation can quickly turn to tragedy, especially in the event of hot weather or extreme cold. Indeed, before 4 years, the body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of adults. We must therefore act quickly. Before opening a vehicle, gather two or three witnesses, so that they can attest to the urgency of the situation. If you don't have any witnesses nearby, film the entire scene yourself.

As a reminder, during this hot period, it is also not recommended to leave your animals in a closed vehicle, even for a few minutes.

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