A child was rescued from a locked vehicle in Oklahoma County on Friday while temperatures climbed past 100 degrees, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. The rescue unfolded during a dangerous stretch of summer heat, when a car can become hazardous in a matter of minutes.
FOX 8 News first reported the incident in a video using footage provided by the sheriff's office. The initial report did not identify the child's age, the exact location, how long the child had been inside or whether anyone faced charges.
Oklahoma Officials Warn Cars Heat Up Quickly
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office says children can heat up three to five times faster than adults inside vehicles, and warns that dangerous conditions can develop even when outdoor temperatures are much lower. Its guidance is blunt: never leave a child unattended, check the back seat every time and keep vehicle keys away from children, as outlined by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.
The local risk is not theoretical. Oklahoma County's 2024 hazard mitigation plan says Oklahoma recorded 29 child heatstroke deaths involving hot cars from 1998 through 2023, the state's third-highest per-capita rate, while the county typically experiences 10 to 15 days each year with temperatures above 100 degrees, according to the Oklahoma County hazard plan.
Oklahoma Law Covers Unattended Children In Hot Cars
Under Oklahoma's Forget-Me-Not Vehicle Safety Act, a person responsible for a child age 6 or younger generally may not leave that child unattended in a vehicle when conditions such as extreme weather create a risk to the child's health or safety. The offense is a misdemeanor with escalating fines for repeat convictions, as provided in Oklahoma's motor vehicle statutes; the available report did not say whether authorities were considering charges in this case.
