COLUMBUS – A Columbus lawmaker wants to protect Ohioans who break into locked vehicles to rescue children or pets on hot days from lawsuits.
Legislation introduced by Republican state Senators Jim Hughes of Columbus) and Frank LaRose of Copley would grant civil immunity to bystanders who “forcibly remove a child or pet from a locked vehicle under certain urgent circumstances,” according to a release from the Hughes’s office.
“Each summer we hear tragic stories from across the country about deaths that occur when children and pets are left alone in hot vehicles,” said Hughes. “It is my intent to allow individuals that witness such heartbreaking and preventable situations to forcibly enter the vehicle to save the life of the child or rescue the pet.”
Citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Hughes says the interior of a car parked in direct sunlight can reach temperatures of 131 degrees to 172 degrees Fahrenheit when outside temperatures are above 80. Even outside temperatures in the 60s can cause a car temperature to rise well above 110 degrees, said Hughes.
Under the bill, the vehicle must be locked, with no other reasonable method for the child or animal to get out, and the rescuer must act in good faith that breaking into the vehicle is a necessary response.
The rescuer must contact 9-1-1 prior to forcibly entering the vehicle.
According to Hughes, the non-profit Kids and Cars says 600 children have died in hot vehicles in the U.S. since 1990 and the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that 14 states have rescue provisions regarding distressed animals.