Victor, N.Y. - On a scorching day, we're often warned of the dangers of heat if exposed for too long.
But another danger happens far too often.
It happened in Gates parking lot earlier this week; a mother is accused of leaving a one-year-old in a car.
In Victor Wednesday, a different mother is accused of leaving her twin seven-year-old boys in the car for ten minutes with the windows rolled up, the car shut off.
“They were very upset, they didn't know where their mom was, they were clearly hot in the car, you could see the sweat on their brow,” said Deputy Matt Asquino with the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department.
The kids in both cases were physically fine, but that's not always the case.
Dr. Anne Brayer, Director of The Injury Free Coalition For Kids, says 60 kids die from heat-related injuries each year mainly because they are so young.
“They have a higher body surface area so the heat affects them more quickly and they're not able to perspire and get rid of the heat as a full grown adult is,” Dr. Brayer said.
It doesn't take long for the temperature to heat up.
We put a thermometer in one of our news vehicles for ten minutes. Within five minutes, the temperature jumped to115 degrees.
In ten minutes, the temperature was 121 degrees.
A reason some parents say why take the risk of leaving their kids in the car, even for a quick errand.
“I know a lot of people have a lot of things going on in their mind but really if you have kids they should be your priority at all times,” parent Catie Benjamin said.
“I don't think it can ever be a mistake to leave your child in the car, it's a human being,” parent Angie Urbano said. “I wouldn't even leave my dog in the car.”
But Deputy Asquino admits kids are left in cars more often than we think, a reason why the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department patrols the Eastview Mall parking lot daily.
“We’re always looking in the parking lots for exactly the kinds of things you’re saying for a person who would be in distress, regardless of their age,” Asquino said.
Dr. Brayer tells us even leaving the windows cracked does little to cool the car.
13WHAM did speak with the mom in Victor accused of leaving her sons in the car.
She declined to talk on camera, but she did seem apologetic and told us she would never intentionally harm her kids.
She still faces two counts of child endangerment which could get her a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
