Newborn left in hot car for 20 minutes while parents shop
Digital Reporter
Friday, June 3, 2016, 5:50 PM - Police in Cork, Ireland have launched an investigation after a two-week-old baby girl was left alone in a hot car for 20 minutes while her parents shopped.
Outside temperatures were around 24C at the time of the incident, which occurred Tuesday. Witnesses say the baby was exposed to direct sunlight through the car's windows, which were open by about an inch.
Video evidence was recorded by a woman who identified herself only as "Shauna". She later uploaded the footage to social media.
A crowd quickly gathered around the car, which was stationed in the parking lot of a shopping centre. After about 20 minutes, the parents returned to the car with their older child.
Witnesses say the parents shrugged off criticisms from bystanders.
NOW ON YOUTUBE: Subscribe to The Weather Network's YouTube channel for access to the best weather-related videos in Canada VIEW THE CHANNEL | VIEWER VIDEOS | POPULAR NOW | SUBSCRIBE
“They came back and there was other people around saying, ‘Oh my God, that’s cruel, you shouldn’t have done that, the [police] are on the way," Shauna told RTE Radio 1.
“The father came out and was like: 'relax, it’s okay'. When another lady said the [police] was on the way he just said ‘good’ and walked off."
The father apparently gave Shauna permission to post her video online.
Experts say that when the temperature is 26 degrees Celsius outside, it can climb to 32 degrees inside a car that's parked in the shade, and 71 degrees if the car is parked in the sun within minutes.
Sources: Irish Mirror | RTE Radio 1
VIDEO: WEATHER NETWORK REPORTER SPENDS TEN MINUTES IN A HOT CAR:
