Hot cars can be deadly for elderly adults, disabled too

Hot car dangers don’t only affect children and pets—adults, especially the elderly and those with disabilities, are also at risk. In a recent incident in Clayton, a 22-year-old special-needs man died after being left in a parked car for hours in the summer heat. Temperatures inside a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, creating deadly conditions. The North Carolina Department of Insurance urges everyone to use the ACT method: Avoid leaving vulnerable adults in cars, Create reminders, and Take action by calling 911 if you see someone in danger. Heatstroke deaths are entirely preventable, and caregivers must take this responsibility seriously.

Author: Mike Causey, Insurance Commissioner

Recently I wrote about the dangers of hot cars, how fast a car can heat up without the air conditioning on and how it could result in heatstroke and even death for someone left in a car.

Usually when we talk about hot car deaths, we talk about children who have been left in a car by a parent or caregiver. Sometimes we talk about pets and how dangerous the heat is for our furry friends.

During a recent hot car demonstration we held with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program in Benson, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell mentioned that adults are not immune from hot car injuries either. Sheriff Bizzell told us that many cars are programmed to turn off after a specified period.

So adults left in a running, air-conditioned car could be in danger of suffering from hot temperatures in a car if the car shuts off automatically, or if something goes wrong and causes the engine to shut down.

This can be true for both elderly adults and adults with disabilities.

We don’t have to wonder what could happen if such an adult is left alone in a car. It’s already happened.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a 22-year-old special-needs man was left alone by his caregiver for hours in a car in Clayton on a day when the temperature was in the 80s. The 54-year-old caregiver had taken the man with him to his job as a janitor at a Clayton school. He left the special-needs man in his car with the engine off and the windows rolled up while he went inside to do his janitorial job.

When the janitor checked on the man at mid-morning, he was OK. But when he returned to him at the end of his shift, the man was unresponsive and later pronounced dead. The caregiver was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

We need to remember that the temperature inside a vehicle can rise about 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. That means if it’s 95 outside, it could be 115 degrees inside the car. So, leaving an adult in a car for just a few minutes while you run inside a store to shop for an item or two could be dangerous. Leaving an adult in a hot car for hours is inviting tragedy.

Some of the same safety tips that we use to help us remember not to leave a child in a car can also help us remember not to leave an elderly adult or an adult with special needs alone in a car. It’s called the ACT method, an acronym for Avoid, Create, and Take action.

  • Avoid heatstroke related injuries and deaths by never leaving an elderly or disabled adult alone in a car.

  • Create reminders. Place something that you’ll need to take with you, such as your cell phone, briefcase or purse, in the back seat when traveling with a disabled or elderly adult.

  • Take action. If you see a disabled or elderly adult in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations.

Automobile heatstroke deaths are entirely preventable. If we’re entrusted with the care of an adult, we need to live up to that responsibility.