Baby left in hot car for 45 mins. in Oshawa, Ont., Mom charged
A 32-year-old mother in Oshawa, Ont. has been charged after her 8-month-old baby was left unattended in a car in a parking lot Sunday, while temperatures hovered around 26 degrees Celsius.
Officials believe the baby was left unattended in the heat for about 45 minutes.
The car was parked near the entrance of a Starbucks located in the Oshawa Centre, CTV reports.
Durham Regional Police said its officers “broke a window to get the child out" around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
The baby was taken to the hospital and is said to be doing well.
The Bowmanville woman has been charged with abandoning a child under the age of ten. Police are withholding her name to protect the child's identity.
NEVER SAFE TO LEAVE A CHILD OR A PET UNATTENDED IN A HOT CAR
When the temperature is 26 degrees Celsius outside, it can climb to 32 degrees inside a car that's parked in the shade, and 71 degrees if the car is parked in the sun, within minutes.
Officials say there is no acceptable amount of time to leave a child unattended in a hot car, even with the windows down.
Children and pets are at a higher risk of heat-related illness because they are not able to regulate and cool their body temperature as efficiently as an adult.
Source: CTV
