A video shared on TikTok showed the harrowing moments when a Texas dad smashed through a car windshield to save a crying baby trapped inside. The scorching hot weather in Harlingen meant the baby was overheating inside when the family accidentally locked the keys inside on July 19. What happened next shows the lengths parents will go to in order to protect their kids.
@lindahdz91 Baby locked in car.. hope baby is okay not sure who vehicle or whos baby it is #awarness #baby #harlingen #956
- A crowd was gathered around the car. When it became clear what was going on, passersby gathered around the car to offer the dad their assistance, though everyone felt pretty helpless at first.
- Everyone joined in trying to break the windows of the car. In the video, witnesses can be seen hitting the car windows with various objects until they finally manage to break through. It took several minutes to break the glass, and it’s unclear how long the baby had been inside by the time they got in.
- The dad was able to pull the baby out through the window. After the windshield was broken, a woman was able to climb through the hole and pass the baby through and into the dad’s arms. From the TikTok video, it looked as though the infant was startled but relatively unharmed.
- Police and EMTs responded to the scene shortly after. Sgt. Larry Moore of the Harlingen Police Department confirmed the event took place just after 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. However, EMTs checked to ensure the baby was in good health, which it was, and no charges are expected to be filed.
- Cars can get very hot, very quickly, and become deadly for those inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it takes only 10 minutes for a car temperature to rise 20 degrees. Given that the heat index was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the day the baby was trapped, it’s no wonder the father was so desperate to get to the little one as quickly as possible.
- Roughly 40 children a year die from being trapped in hot cars. That’s one every 10 days. While this was clearly an accident, parents are advised to NEVER leave kids (or pets) alone in vehicles even with the windows cracked. It could very well be deadly.