CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On June, 26 a child died after being locked in a hot car here in Charlotte.
So far, five children across the country have died after being left in a hot vehicle. But what should you do if you stumble across a child or pet locked in a hot car?
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
In both North Carolina and South Carolina, you are protected by law to break or enter a vehicle if you notice a person in distress and in need of immediate medical attention.
"You're not going to be liable for breaking and entering or any type of criminal offense if you walk by a vehicle, and you see a human being inside of the vehicle that is in obvious physical distress," Mauney said.
But could the car's owner still sue you if you break open a window to save a person from a locked vehicle? Mauney said technically yes, but the chance of the lawsuit going anywhere is very thin.
"I don't see a judge allowing that claim to go forward," Mauney said. "The whole purpose of this statute is to embody the idea that a human life is more important than property."
However, Mauney said the same law does not apply to animals.
"If there's an animal in the car, and you see that the animal is probably in distress based on reasonable facts and circumstances, then you do you need to call animal control that the statute doesn't protect you from breaking and entering in that situation," Mauney explained.
Matthews Police PIO Tim Aycock said in either instance, before you do anything, call 911.
"We really want to be able to get there as quickly as we can and do what we need to do to save lives if possible," Aycock said.
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