The children apparently died of heat and asphyxiation although they were rushed to hospital.
MONROVIA — Two children Wednesday died of suffocation after being locked inside a vehicle in the Johnsonville community.
By Selma Lomax [email protected]
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.
‘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.
