A 35-year-old Prince Albert man is facing criminal charges after a child was found left alone in a car, with the windows rolled up, on Saturday evening.
“Police were informed by a witness that the child had been left unattended for approximately an hour. The temperature at the time officers arrived was 24 degrees (Celsius) and humidity was at 62 per cent,” said Sgt. Brandon Mudry of the Prince Albert Police Service.
Police say the child was found to be unharmed when taken out of the vehicle – parked in a lot in the 3200 block of 2nd Avenue West. The caregiver was found inside a nearby business and arrested. The man faces a charge of Unlawfully Abandoning a Child under the age of Ten Years thereby Endangering their Life.
Police say accidents like these are rare.
“It is an infrequent situation thankfully,” said Mudry. “I don’t know the intimate details of it, but they are isolated incidents absolutely.”
Isolated, but still apparent in Canada. Last June, an Ontario woman was charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life after her grandson was left alone in a sweltering car. Shortly after the boys death, a three year old girl in Edmonton died the same way.
Paramedics say the average temperature of a car left out in the sun for one to two hours can rise to about 78 degrees Celsius – a dangerous 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Most of us start to do slow cooking in our oven at 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) so you can only imagine what that is going to do to a small child,” said Lyle Karasiuk of Parkland Ambulance.
Police say the child was taken into protective custody by a partner agency to the Ministry of Social Services. The accused will make his first court appearance in Prince Albert on July 15.
