It is June, and soaring temperatures in Southern Illinois topped out at 99 degrees with a heat index of 115. It is the same all over the country. If you park your car in direct sunlight, the temperature can climb to 130 to 172 degrees very quickly. According to the Center for Disease Control heat can kill even in mild temperatures. A temperature of 70 degrees will send temperatures inside your car to 104 degrees in a half hour and 113 degrees in an hour on a sunny day.
All over the country children and pets die when left in cars. Children can die in vehicles with outdoor temperatures as low as 63 degrees. Michael Dix, DVM said "Never leave your pet in a parked car when the outside temperature is above 70 degrees. Not even with the windows partway down, not even in the shade, not even for a quick errand. Dogs and cats can't sweat like humans, so they pant to lower their body temperature. If they're inside a car, recycling very hot air, panting gives no relief, and heat stroke can happen quickly."
On June 17, the temperature was 93 degrees outside. St. Louis County Missouri Scanner Radio posted a story on Facebook about a woman (Christine) who noticed a dog locked in a car outside a grocery store. She called Richmond Heights police, but the dog was in the car for over 45 minutes and near death before the police arrived and opened the car doors. The store paged the owner of the dog three times. He didn't appear to think he had done anything wrong.
What would you have done? I would have broken the window, but in most states including Missouri and Illinois, it is illegal for a Good Samaritan to take measures to free an animal or a child. Is it illegal in the state you live in to leave a pet or child in a hot car? You might be surprised. Only 28 states have laws that prohibit leaving animals in hot cars, and only 12 states give you the legal right to use any means necessary - including smashing a window – to free an animal that is in distress or dying. These states have Good Samaritan laws allowing you to take matters into your own hands: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oregon, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
However, each state requires you to contact law enforcement before entering the vehicle. You may also have to take other steps including:
- Trying to find the owner of the car.
- Ensuring the vehicle is locked and breaking in is the only way to save the animal.
- Leaving a note indicating the safe location of the animal.
- Staying on the scene until law enforcement arrives.
In Indiana, you would be liable for one-half the cost of repairing any damage done to the vehicle because of your forcible entry.
Good Samaritan bills are pending in Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and West Virginia. In most states leaving an animal in a hot car is a misdemeanor with fines ranging from $200 - $1000. The animals in these cases are often left in the hands of their abuser.
Only Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin include children in their Good Samaritan laws.
States must pass stronger laws. No one should have to stop and think about whether they are breaking the law when they see an animal or child in a hot car or other dangerous situation. It should be a simple decision made with the safety and life of the pet or child as the only consideration. Good Samaritan laws (with fewer restrictions) must be passed.
Abusers must be held accountable. A misdemeanor will do little more than slap the abuser on the hand. Stronger laws must be passed and enforced. People who leave an animal or child in a hot car should be charged with a felony and put in jail. Contact your state representative and/or senator now and ask them to pass a Good Samaritan law (with few restrictions) and a law making leaving a pet in a hot car a felony.
