An Edinburgh mum has told of the panic she experienced after a malfunction with her car keys left her five-month-old daughter locked in the back of the car on one of the hottest days of the year.
Zoe King, 40, had taken her two daughters baby Bethan and two-year-old Maeve to a nearby soft play to shelter from the sweltering sunshine and highs into the 20s on Saturday.
While heading home, the family picked up some ice cream to enjoy after a fun day out. But when Zoe parked up and began to get Maeve out of the Renault Captur with the sweet treats, she heard a clunk and realised the door had shut itself with the electroni key card and her Bethan inside.
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The mum frantically tried the doors on the car in an attempt to open it only to find them locked. She considered smashing a window to get little Bethan out of the car before calling the fire service.
Hero firefighters raced to the scene and were able to get into the car via the boot and rescue little Bethan who was unharmed if a "bit sweaty" by her ordeal.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live the mum-of-two said: "It was Saturday afternoon, we had gone out to a soft play and then to get some ice cream afterwords. We don't let the kids eat ice cream in the car and it was a ten-minute drive home so we'd all enjoy the ice-cream after we arrived.
"When we arrived home, I took the ice cream out of the car and put it on the roof as well as the toddler. My key was in my bag in the back seat. I heard a clunk and realised the car had locked itself with the keys and baby inside.
"I panicked and rushed to try and push the buttons on the car, but I couldn’t open it. I realised that my five-month old baby was still sitting in the back. It was the hottest part of the day and about 22C - we had the air condition on but it was just a ten minute drive so the car was still quite hot."
Due to the hot weather especially inside the car, Zoe began to panic and was running out of options. She explained: "I thought about smashing one of the windows to get in but didn’t know which one was best to break so I called 999 to get the fire brigade.
"They were so great, she said it was the right thing to do and asked lots of questions like how old the baby is, and how long has she been locked in. They sent a crew out straightaway.
"My other daughter was stood with me near the road and in the sun so I moved her to our front yard and got her to sit in the shade while I waited for the fire service to arrive."
It was an anxious wait for emergency services to arrive. Zoe continued: "In the meantime I called my dad who is a mechanic and he advised me to try the boot as if the keys are closer to there and have a weak signal it might just work.
"I began pressing the button a few times and just as the fire brigade arrived it popped open. I couldn’t just put the seats down to get into the back seat because of the baby and I couldn’t reach the keys through the small gap either.
"The fire service were totally brilliant the whole crew came and all in their kit too on such a hot day. A slim woman firefighter took her uniform off and was able to squeeze through the back to get the keys."
The little baby had been half asleep in her car seat the whole time and seemed totally unfazed by the panic her mum had gone through.
Zoe explained: "When I got to her, she was a bit sweaty and the car was still warm but she was absolutely fine. I'm just relieved everything turned out okay." Never trust a smart key or leave it on the back seat. Always assume that the battery will die."
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How to avoid children becoming locked in the car
Avoid the potential for disaster by always keeping your car keys with you. If your car does lock accidentally, you can unlock it again quickly.
Top tips:
- Keep your keys with you at all times.
- Never give your children the keys to play with in the car.
- Keep young children occupied with toys and books while you load and unload the car.
- Double-check you have your keys before closing the car doors.
- Keep a spare set of keys at home or with your partner.
Dangers of hot cars in summer
Leaving children alone in a car accidentally – or deliberately, even if just for a minute – can be dangerous at any time of year. But the risks are particularly high in summer.
AA President Edmund King OBE says: “Children are particularly vulnerable as they are less able to cope with high temperatures and may not recognise the symptoms of heat-related illness such as dehydration.
“But it's not just warm days that can present a risk: vehicle glass behaves like a greenhouse which means in sunshine, temperatures can rise quickly inside even if there’s a chilly breeze blowing. So remember not to leave kids alone in the car, because anything can happen.”
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