Warning of heat shock and suffocation in cars

Many serious accidents have occurred when victims suffered from heat stroke or suffocation due to being forgotten or falling asleep in cars. The lesson is old, but children still become victims due to the carelessness and irresponsibility of adults.

Death due to being forgotten and sleeping in the car

On May 29, the family of TGH (5 years old, Hong Nhung Kindergarten, Thai Binh province) discovered that the child had been left on the school bus from morning to night. Local people helped break the car door to take H. to the emergency room in critical condition, but H. died that same evening. The incident occurred at a time when Thai Binh province was experiencing intense heat, with the highest outdoor temperature reaching about 350C.

Four years ago, on August 6, 2019, a 6-year-old boy was left on the shuttle bus of Gateway International School (Hanoi) on the opening day of the school year. The driver and the person in charge of the shuttle did not check one last time, so they did not know the boy was still in the car, and died before being admitted to the hospital... On September 13, 2019, a 3-year-old boy from Bac Ninh province was found left for 7 hours on the shuttle bus of a private preschool. Luckily, the bus was parked under a tree with the window slightly open, and the boy was taken to the emergency room and recovered.

Then, on June 2, 2023, a father and his three sons living in Hai Phong were hospitalized in a state of respiratory failure, one of whom died. The accident occurred when the house lost power, and the three father and sons got into the car and turned on the air conditioner to sleep to avoid the heat. The car started in the family's garage. Afterwards, the victims gradually fainted and fell into a coma due to suffocation.

On May 30, regarding the case of a preschool child being left behind in a school bus of Hong Nhung 2 Kindergarten (Phu Xuan Commune, Thai Binh City, Thai Binh Province) leading to death, the Investigation Police Department of Thai Binh City Police initiated a case of "Involuntary manslaughter" and issued an emergency arrest warrant for Phuong Quynh Anh, a teacher in charge of taking and picking up students by car of Hong Nhung Kindergarten.

On the same day, Mr. Pham Van Nghiem, Vice Chairman of Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee, along with representatives of a number of local authorities visited and encouraged TGH's family. The Department of Education and Training of Thai Binh province also issued an official dispatch directing the rectification of school safety work, including the work of picking up and dropping off children by car in Thai Binh province; directing Hong Nhung 2 Kindergarten to do a good job of stabilizing the psychology of parents and teachers so that the school can operate normally, without affecting other students.

NGUYEN QUOC

Unforeseeable danger

Regarding the heartbreaking incident in Thai Binh, Dr. Pham Minh Huy, Department of Emergency Resuscitation, Cho Ray Hospital, said that it is likely that the 5-year-old child suffered from heat stroke. Because the car has a large space for children, the oxygen may be enough for a child in the beginning. However, when closed, in hot weather recorded at 350C, the car appears to have a "greenhouse effect", with the temperature inside the car being 10-200C higher than outside. Therefore, the child can quickly suffer from heat stroke within 1-2 hours and gradually faint.

According to Dr. Dinh Tan Phuong, Head of the Emergency Department, Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, children being left in cars is an extremely dangerous situation, especially for children under 6 years old. Children can die from lack of oxygen, suffocation and heat stroke. If saved, children face the risk of brain damage due to long-term lack of oxygen.

In the situation of closing the door, turning on the air conditioner and falling asleep, adults also face danger if the car engine is running in a closed environment. "If the driver is forced to rest in the car and wants to turn on the air conditioner, the driver should open the window about 10cm, park the car in a cool place, and only sleep for about 30 minutes," Dr. Dinh Tan Phuong advised.

MSc. Dr. Hoang Tien Trong Nghia, Head of the Department of Neurology, Military Hospital 175, recommends that parents maintain the following habits: Do not leave children or pets in the car unattended, regardless of high or low outdoor temperatures; always check the back seat before locking the car, creating a habit of looking twice; Lock the car doors when not in use to prevent children from accidentally climbing in; Set up notifications on your phone to remind yourself to check the back seat first.

In addition, parents and schools must be extremely careful when taking children to and from school or outings. It is necessary to take full attendance when children get on and off the bus, and carefully check the bus after stopping. Drivers should open the windows and park the bus in a cool place to prevent bad situations from happening. For children over 6 years old, parents and teachers need to instruct them on skills in case they are unfortunately left behind.

Supervise the process of picking up and dropping off students by bus

Regarding the case of a 5-year-old child who died after being forgotten in a school bus (Thai Binh), on May 30, in the hallway of the National Assembly, SGGP reporters recorded the opinions of several National Assembly deputies (NA deputies) on this issue.

Deputy Pham Van Hoa, member of the National Assembly's Law Committee: I think it is necessary to handle this very seriously to warn and deter. Currently, there are still many vehicles that are contracts between parents and drivers, with only the driver taking students to school, which poses a potential danger, not only forgetting children in the vehicle, but also poor road safety.

I agree that there should be a separate design for school buses. In addition to the driver, there should be an assistant driver, and staff in charge of picking up and dropping off students; there could be cameras, sirens, etc.

Delegate Ta Van Ha, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education : When an incident occurs, I think it is not only the responsibility of those directly involved but also the responsibility of the head of that educational institution.

At the same time, supplement relevant regulations on standards for assigned transport personnel and preschool teachers related to transporting students.

Deputy Le Thanh Van, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee: I welcome the authorities' immediate initiation of the case. Regarding the need to regulate standards for school buses in the law, I think this is an issue that has arisen in practice and will be legalized in the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety.

CIVILIZATION - Recorded by PHAN THAO

TRANSPORTATION

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bao-dong-tinh-trang-soc-nhiet-ngat-khi-tren-o-to-post742330.html