Teen Trapped In Car Dies From Heat

Sky News ^ | 8-12-08

[rawhide]

A 13-year-old boy suffocated to death after his parents left him trapped in their car for more than 12 hours on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

The French teenager had tried desperately escape from the locked vehicle, where he had been left after his parents spent an evening with friends.

When they returned to their holiday villa at night, they went inside to bed leaving their son asleep in the car.

His body was discovered slumped on the back seat of the high-security 4x4 vehicle, parked in full sunshine, when his parents woke up at 10am the following morning.

Temperatures inside would have soared to more than 50C, emergency workers said.

The boy had struggled violently to escape from the locked car, slashing at the upholstery with scissors and hitting the reinforced windows, a police spokesman said.

He added: "There were signs in the car that he had fought to get out, but it was a very high security new model car that can not be opened from the inside.

"As the sun rose in the morning, the temperature would have risen to 50C and he must have passed out from heat exhaustion."

The unnamed parents from Paris, on holiday on the French island, had been interviewed by police and faced charges of involuntary homicide.

[rawhide]

The holiday tragedy took place on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe

[Corin Stormhands]

but it was a very high security new model car that can not be opened from the inside.

WHAT?????

[wideawake]

That's just bizarre.

He must have been small for his age.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

WHAT?????

That was my reaction. WTF?

[Coffee200am]

How do you forget your son in a locked car...unless you didn’t think about him very much to begin with. Sounds fishy to me.

[quark]

Every other week it seems we hear of one of these cases. I can't imagine the fear, panic, and torment these children must endure on their way to dying a slow and horrid death. This is premeditated murder, not negligence.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Who would think that a vehicle could not be opened from the inside?

Outside, yes. Inside, no.

It's not the parents' fault.

[tiki]

I’m trying to get my mind around this, how do you get locked in a car if you aren’t disabled or something?

[relee]

Very secure model, without a horn?

[tsmith130]

The unnamed parents from Paris, on holiday on the French island, had been interviewed by police and faced charges of involuntary homicide.

INVOLUNTARY?! WT?

[TChris]

> but it was a very high security new model car that can not be opened from the inside.

WHAT?????

Yeah, you don't want any thugs getting out of your car while you're standing beside it... Right?

Umm... Yeah....

[BGHater]

Wow.

50 C, is around 122 F. Wow. 12 hours, the poor kid was stuck in a CrockPot and slow simmered to death.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Was that a car, or a paddy wagon?

[Ditto]

There were signs in the car that he had fought to get out, but it was a very high security new model car that can not be opened from the inside.

I never heard of such a car and have to wonder why in the world someone would think that feature would be a good idea.

[JRandomFreeper]

It's basically an armored vehicle. There should have been an "Oh, $hit" button that could summoned help, but apparently, no one in the family listened to the briefing past the part where "It'll keep you safe from bandits".

Prayers for the kid. Sucks to die like that. At least he fought.

/johnny

[VOA]

How do you forget your son in a locked car...unless you didn’t think
about him very much to begin with. Sounds fishy to me.

Too bad this wasn't on "Law And Order"...with assistant DA
Jack McCoy dogging the parents until he finds they bought the
car with reinforced glass...to get rid of their annoying teenager.

[Truthsearcher]

I don’t buy this story, he could have honked the horns.

And 13 year olds can break the windshield.

[GATOR NAVY]

how do you get locked in a car if you aren’t disabled or something?

Disabled in some way was my thought too.

[Sooth2222]

BMWs are somewhat notorious for this and have been for years in that you can't open them from the inside if they're locked from the outside. There must be others.

You can, however, still kick out the windshield.

[BGHater]

lol. teenagers are very good at breaking windows.

If you think about it, he probably only had flip flops and no shoes. It would be hard to kick thru the windows, but you gotta do what you gotta do to live.