By Jamesetta D Williams
Liberia-According to the Police, the siblings,
aged seven and four, were playing around their neighbor’s car, which was parked
near their house. They might have entered the car when they found it unlocked, it is learnt.
The children apparently died of heat and
asphyxiation although they were rushed to hospital. Following the tragic incident, the Police have called upon parents to ensure the safety of children.
‘Parents or people should not leave
their vehicles unlocked when they are parked. This can avoid the children entering the vehicles and getting them locked inside while playing around”, a Police officer was heard advising parents via an online television.
The official advised that parents should
also check their vehicles before locking them to ensure that nobody left behind
is empty. “Keeping the vehicles locked at the time of parking will help prevent entry by others including children”, the Police officer said. Investigation into the case continues, as of this writing.
In August last year, a five-year-old boy
died of suffocation after he was left inside a closed car for several hours in
the Pipeline Road community. In 2017, a six-year-old boy lost his life in Sinkor, Monrovia due to suffocation inside a closed vehicle.
According to experts, just a few minutes
left alone in a locked car can be enough to cause the death of a young child
and this is aggravated in summer.
Remaining inside a closed vehicle where
the airflow is zero, the first few minutes are crucial. The lesser resistance power of children will further worsen the situation and as he’s not supplied with oxygen, his strength to scream is minimized leading to the imminent death’, a nurse told FrontPageAfrica.
This situation is hardly irreversible
because they would be inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide gas which is triggered
by a lack of oxygen in the vehicle, she added.
