Four-year-old freed from overheated car in Aspach – mother reported

The mother, a 40-year-old woman from Tyrol, stated that she had been in a nearby residential building at the time. The Upper Austrian State Police Directorate stated: "Der Vorfall wird der zuständigen Behörde angezeigt". Police described the outcome as fortunate from their perspective, because the child had been discovered in time.

Background: How quickly a car becomes a heat trap

According to police, the car was parked in direct sunlight at 27 degrees Celsius, which can lead to interior temperatures exceeding 50 degrees after 45 minutes. The vehicle was described by officers as "brennheiß". According to the emergency personnel, the girl was already heavily perspiring when she was freed.

The person who reported the incident had contacted police at midday on Monday. Without his tip, the police said, the girl might have had to endure being in the vehicle for even longer. The officers explicitly thanked the citizen for his attentiveness.

Reactions and further procedure

Why the child was left in the vehicle and how long she had been locked inside are the subject of the official investigation now underway. Police provided no further information on the matter on Tuesday.

The authorities will now examine the case further. The consequences of the report for the mother will depend on the investigation by the competent authority. The State Police Directorate announced that it would consistently take similar action in comparable cases in the future.

The Interior Ministry and police regularly point out in such cases that overheated vehicles can become life-threatening traps for small children within minutes. Even at outdoor temperatures of around 25 degrees, the temperature inside a car parked in the sun rises significantly within a short period of time. Expert agencies advise never leaving children alone in the car, even for short trips.