The Oklahoma State Department of Health recently issued a warning about serious injury in the summer heat. The temperature inside a car can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit with ease.

For anyone living and working in Oklahoma City; it is important to know that the summer heat can cause serious injuries. To be sure, The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) recently issued a warning to parents about the dangers of heat-related injuries and illnesses, particularly among children in hot cars. We often think of serious injuries as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and spinal cord injuries (SCIs). However, young children can sustain life-threatening and fatal injuries from heat stroke.

Heat stroke should be treated as an emergency, and patients should receive immediate help from a medical professional. While heat stroke can occur at any age, it often involves either the very young or old. OSDH is emphasizing that parents need to be very careful. Precautions regarding hot cars and other areas with excessive summer heat should be taken.

The OSDH reports that one child suffers a fatal vehicle-related heat stroke injury every 10 days on average. After motor vehicle crashes that result in serious injuries, heat stroke is a leading cause of automobile-related deaths among children. Although the OSDH often issues warnings about serious injuries caused by heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses; the present warning remains timely.

Temperature statistics from U.S. Climate Data show that the average high temperature in Oklahoma City in July is 94 degrees Fahrenheit, while the August the average high temperature drops only slightly to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

As Oklahoma City personal injury attorney Phillip P. Owens II pointed out, the OSDH’s warning about heat stroke and hot car deaths is an important one for parents in the area to heed. According to Owens, “vehicle-related serious injuries can happen in numerous ways. From deadly back-overs in driveways to heat stroke in a hot car, injuries often occur because of another party’s negligence.” When a child’s daycare provider or another motor vehicle driver causes serious injury the negligent party may be liable under Oklahoma law.

This July, the OSDH underscores that the temperature inside a car can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit with ease, quickly resulting in heat stroke. OSDH recommends that Oklahomans  take precautions while driving with children. Encouraging parents to lock vehicles so that children cannot climb inside. To discuss your case, contact us today at (405) 608-0708.