By Robert Kittle
A bill making its way through the South Carolina House of Representatives would protect good Samaritans who break car windows to rescue children in hot cars. Under the bill, they would not be liable for any damage to the vehicle. The bill would also apply to vulnerable adults who are in hot cars.
Rep. Bill Sandifer, R-Seneca, sponsored the bill after hearing that Tennessee passed a law that took effect last July. “It made good sense because what it does is it alleviates that rescuer from any liability for damage to a vehicle, therefore encouraging people to rescue either a child or a vulnerable adult,” he says.
“For me, I wouldn’t care. I would rescue the person regardless,” he says. “But there are people who are really concerned about it but don’t take that final step of rescuing that either baby or vulnerable adult.”
According to child protection organization Kids and Cars.org, an average of 38 children in the U.S. die each year after being left inside hot vehicles or climbing in them without parents knowing. Last year, there were three child deaths in South Carolina.
The bill got unanimous approval by a full House committee this week and is now on the House calendar. Sandifer expects it to come up for a vote on the House floor next week, and he says he can’t imagine anyone being against the bill.
The bill would require a person who sees a child or vulnerable adult inside a hot car to first contact 9-1-1, local law enforcement, or the fire department before breaking a window. He must determine that the vehicle is locked and there’s no other way for the child or vulnerable adult to get out. He also would have to put a note on the vehicle with his name and contact information, the reason he broke the window, the location of the child who was removed from the vehicle, and notice that the authorities were notified. He must also stay with the minor in a location that’s safe and out of the elements but reasonably close to the vehicle until law enforcement, fire, or other emergency responders arrive.
