Thursday, April 23, 1998 | 10:03 a.m.
A Las Vegas family is among the lucky ones today, their 10-week-old baby rescued from a locked car in a situation that authorities said could easily have ended in a tragic outcome given the recent heat wave.
The infant's mother had pulled into the Payless Shoe Store parking lot at Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road Wednesday afternoon, and had gotten out of the car when one of her two children shut and locked the door, trapping both the baby and the keys inside, said Bob Leinbach, Clark County Fire Department spokesman.
The woman called 911 for help at 1:21 p.m., and within 10 minutes a paramedic team arrived, breaking open the window and pulling the baby out.
"The baby had a rapid heart beat, and she was sweating and crying," Leinbach said. She was transported to University Medical Center where she was listed that afternoon in stable condition.
While the baby survived, Leinbach said the situation best serves as a reminder just how easily a similar situation can end in death.
Firefighter-paramedic teams respond almost on a daily basis, year-round, to calls of kids, pets and seniors trapped in cars. While the cooler months don't necessarily produce disastrous situations, the summer months can be extremely dangerous.
In May 1997 alone, rescue crews from North Las Vegas, Henderson, Las Vegas and Clark County responded 50 times for children locked in cars.
Between May and September -- the hottest months of 1997 -- rescue crews had a combined total of 135 similar calls.
"In the vast majority of cases, no one was transported and almost everyone was OK," Leinbach said. "But the danger at this time of year is with direct sun coming in a window. The heat can build up to over 100 degrees, even with the window open. People can die in heat like that -- both children and adults."
There is no known "safe period" for anyone trapped inside a locked car in the heat. Even a few minutes can be deadly, especially for babies, Leinbach said.
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