HOUSTON – The most recent hot car death of a 9-year-old girl on Tuesday in our area is prompting local law enforcement officials to spread awareness about the importance of taking action should you happen to see a child in an unattended vehicle.
"It’s something that happens unfortunately, but it’s also preventable," said Deputy Rafael Pantoja with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
State law protects individuals from lawsuits if they, in good faith, break into a locked or inaccessible vehicle to save someone from imminent harm, provided they follow specific steps:
- The vehicle must be locked or there must be no reasonable way for the person to exit without assistance.
- The person entering the vehicle must have a good faith and reasonable belief that entry is necessary to avoid imminent harm.
- They must ensure law enforcement is notified (if not a first responder).
- They must use no more force than necessary.
- They must remain with the person until help arrives.
Of course the hope is this type of action is a last resort, but here are some easy tips that could benefit drivers and back seat passengers beforehand:
“These are flyers that you can print out on the Facebook of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. You can cut it out and you can hang it on your rear view mirror to remind you to look in the back,” Pantoja said. “But there’s a lot of other things that you could use. A lot of people, no one will go anywhere without their cell phone. Put it in the back seat, put your purse, put your wallet in the back side. Or even better, take off one shoe, put it in the back seat. No one’s going to get out of the car with one shoe on.”
