Raelyn Balfour’s son died after she left him in a hot car in 2007.
HOUSTON — The temperature is rising, and so is the possibility of heat-related car deaths. Child advocates are urging parents to stay alert. On Tuesday, doctors, safety experts, and law enforcement joined forces to get the message out.
Temperatures inside hot cars can rise quickly. One car we checked for this story hit about 120 degrees. Experts say in just 30 minutes, heat stroke can set in, and that can have deadly consequences.
That’s Raelyn Balfour’s reality. It happened to her son years ago when she lived in Virginia.
“I accidentally forgot my son in the car thinking I dropped him off at daycare on the 30th of March in 2007 in Charlottesville, Virginia,” she said. “And he died.”
These days, she lives in Texas and is sharing her story, hoping to make a difference in someone else’s life.
“You cannot imagine what it feels like to know that you were responsible for your child’s death,” she said.
Houston TranStar, doctors, and advocates joined forces Tuesday morning to bring attention to a very real threat.
So far this year, 16 kids have died in hot cars, 4 of them in Texas, including one in the Houston area.
On July 1, a 9-year-old died in Galena Park. Authorities said her mother left her in the car while she went to work. Officials say kids under four years old are most at risk since their bodies can heat up three or four times faster. But so are athletes when exposed to high temperatures.
“As it gets worse to heat stroke, that’s where we tend to see them even more dehydrated to the point where they can’t even sweat anymore,” said Anthony Arredondo with Texas Children’s Hospital. “Their bodies are red.”
Look before you lock your car, they say, is a good standard procedure to follow.
“Place your purse, phone, wallet, or even your left shoe,” said Terry Garza with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “Because you’re not gonna get out of the vehicle without that shoe.”
Balfour says she hopes it’s something parents and caregivers keep in mind as she continues this work in memory of her son.
Balfour says that day her son died in Virginia, the high temperature was 66 degrees, but with her car sitting in the sun, the temperature inside rose to 120. She says, even if you think it’s cool enough, it’s not.