Toronto, Ontario — July 20, 2015 — A toddler trapped in a locked car amid a city-wide heat alert was freed Sunday thanks to a responding tow truck driver.
The Canadian Press (CP) reports the two-year-old was accidentally locked inside the vehicle—parked in the shade on Sixth Street in the Lake Shore Boulevard and Islington Avenue area—with both sets of keys inside.
The child’s parents called 911 at around 8:40 a.m., with responders arriving on the scene just before 9 a.m. Firefighters were prepared to break the car window open when a tow truck driver pulled up and unlocked the door using a specialized tool.
Toronto Fire District Chief Stephan Powell told CP the toddler, who was trapped inside the vehicle for around 15 minutes, was psychically unharmed, but upset at being separated from the parents.
Powell adds that the incident was not a case of neglect, but largely due to “carelessness.” He says the quick-acting parents did everything they should have done.
Temperatures reached the low 30s on July 19 with humidex values making it feel closer to 40 C. The city’s heat warning ended Sunday evening.
