Kennewick police rescue child accidentally locked inside truck as temperatures neared 100

Kennewick police rescued an infant accidentally locked inside a pickup truck during Thursday’s record-breaking heat.

The outside temperature had reached 98 degrees when one of the baby’s parents left both the keys and child inside the truck in a parking lot on Clearwater Avenue and Steptoe Street. The parent called police and asked them to break the window.

An officer used ice packs from his lunch until medics arrived. It was unclear how long the child was in the vehicle, but medics indicated the child appeared to be OK, police said.

Kennewick police said the incident highlights the importance of being careful when you’re loading children into cars. They suggested people keep their keys in their pockets when they’re loading children into cars.

“The tragic reality of summer is that each year children die from heat exposure after being left in cars,” Kennewick police said. “Please take extra care this summer and realize that children and animals should never be left unattended in vehicles.”

Police ask anyone who sees a child left in a car to call 911 and stay with the car until police or firefighters arrive.