The statistic is heartbreaking. Dozens of children die after being left in hot cars each year. These are tragedies no parent would want to face, tragedies that could have been prevented, and thanks to Deputy Bill Dunn, tragedies that may never happen again. Dunn, working with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, was called to the scene of a case on Sunday, June 17. Father’s Day.
A panicked mother told emergency responders that her car had been stolen, with her 3-year-old inside it. But what Dunn arrived to find was even more appalling.
The woman had driven to a liquor store the night before, with all three of her children in the car. Upon arriving home, she only brought two of them back to her apartment. The youngest was left inside the vehicle overnight.
The next morning, after the woman reported her child missing, Deputy Dunn arrived to find the child slumped over and unconscious in the locked vehicle. She had been in the car for 12 hours before Deputy Dunn arrived. The air temperature outside topped 80 degrees, and inside the car, must have risen above a sweltering 110. There was little hope a young child could have survived, and Dunn prepared for the worst as he removed her limp body from the vehicle.
“[I was] immediately hit with just a wave of hot, steamy air,” Dunn said. “Felt the pulse on the child and didn’t feel a pulse. So I took her out of the car seat and she was just limp. So I ran her back to my patrol car, put her underneath the A/C vent and at that point, her eyes began to flutter a little bit, so I was, like, yeah she’s alive.”
The deputy’s dashcam caught him carrying the girl toward his own patrol car. Her head bobbed as she lapsed in and out of consciousness on the way to the nearest hospital. “I remember one thing distinctively was my hand on her chest and feeling her heart racing. It was beating really, really, real fast,” Dunn said. “It’s OK, baby; talk to me. You’re OK,” Dunn’s voice is heard in the video.
Deputy Dunn handed the child over to paramedics at the hospital, his job seemingly completed. But his emotions had not abated. Dunn returned to his patrol car and buried his face in his hands. He felt dizzy and weak after the adrenaline rush. “Experiencing that adrenaline dump was a hell of a thing,” he said. “And then how it really affects the body when it finally goes away.”
The toddler was released from the hospital three days later. With a big hug, Deputy Dunn wished her well. Dunn described her as a fighter. “She fought through it because she wanted to be here.” Soon after, the girl’s mother was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm. Such incidents are uncommon, but when they do occur, the oversight is frequently caused by last-minute changes to a schedule.
General frustrations overpowering one’s short term memory, or alcohol and drug abuse When a parent believes their child is safe at home or at daycare, they are still in the car. To prevent this from becoming a habit, jar the brain into following a different routine. For example, placing an object such as a purse or cell phone in the backseat next to your child can help remind parents to check the back before closing the car.
Deputy Dunn’s compassion and quick thinking saved this little girl’s life and serves as a powerful reminder to all of us to be more vigilant. Please share this story to help save other children who may someday need it the most, and watch the video of Deputy Dunn’s dramatic rescue below.