Can You Legally Break A Car Window To Save An Endangered Child in Iowa?
Now that November is underway and temperatures will start to drop, hopefully, this is something you don't have to hear about for a long time. Everyone knows they shouldn't do it but it seems like every year we see and read scary stories of animals and/or children being left inside a hot car.
What is the Biggest Issue With Leaving Your Kid in the Car?
The biggest risk for children who are left in hot cars is heat stroke. According to Scotts Fort Collins Auto, "after an hour, the average in-car temperature is 43 degrees higher than the outdoor temperature. After 90 minutes, this rises to 48 degrees higher."
If your car's temperature can raise 30 degrees in the sun, after about 30 minutes, it's important to remember that children shouldn't be left alone in cars, even on a mild 75 degree day. The outside temperature doesn't matter when it comes to the inside temperature of the car.
According to Scotts Fort Collins Auto, it could reach nearly 120 degrees in the car after 90 minutes. Even if you believe you have just a quick errand to run, it's better to be safe than sorry and either bring your child with you or just leave them at home.
Can You Legally Break A Car Window To Help A Child?
If you happened to find a hot car with a child left alone inside, can you legally do something about this in the state of Iowa? According to We Are Iowa, Iowa does not have a law that specifically addresses children left inside cars.
Back in 2019, an Iowa man was charged with two counts of child endangerment for leaving his two kids in the seats of a hot car, and Des Moines Police Officer Paul Parizek told We Are Iowa to break the window if a child looks to be in danger.
If you look in a window and see a child that’s in serious distress, I don’t think we’d have an issue of you breaking out the window to help that child.
If you see a child locked in a car and they appear to be in danger, break the window and call the police. That child's life is worth more than any car window. I'd be willing to bet most police officers would understand the situation.