Remembering precious cargo in the heat of the day

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – You hear of the heart breaking stories every year.

A child dying after being left in a hot car.

“We never ever leave our kids or our grand kids in the car ever by it being as hot as it is,” said grandparent Sandra Eckford.

The National Safety Council released a report that shows a shocking, 42 children died after being left in hot cars in 2017.

“You would be amazed nurses, doctors, firefighters, police officers, just normal persons that she wouldn’t think would do it happens, and I don’t believe they did it on purpose. It’s a simple mistake but it can’t happen,” said Aberdeen Fire Captain Guyvester Dobbs.

Dobbs says it’s a growing issue that parents have to actively fight everyday.

“A vehicle heats up faster. Within the first 10 minutes that car can get up to 125 degrees, that’s hot. People think just by cracking a window that helps. Cracking a window doesn’t help it’s still going to heat up,” said Dobbs.

The experts say there are ways to help remind parents they carry precious cargo.

“The two L’s look before you lock check your vehicles when you get out. Open your back doors and check them and make sure you don’t leave your child in the car,” said Dobbs.

“If you will just hang or put your mirror down on their backseat and always looking at rear view mirror. Tie something bright so that way when you see that brightness or that cute little animal that’s hanging from your rear view mirror that you’re like oh, my child or oh my pet,” Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputy Tammy Prescott.

“With my son he stressed because he was in law enforcement he stresses to Wise the importance of always keeping E.J. with us so, we keep the mirror turn so we can always keep an eye on them,”said Eckford.

Only 21 states have laws regarding the issue.

In Mississippi, hot car child deaths fall under child neglect that carries a penalty of a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail if convicted.