SAN ANTONIO — A video out of San Antonio is going viral with millions of views. It shows three children including an infant getting rescued from a hot car.
The video is painful to watch and listen to as one child appears to struggle just to breathe.
Police say the children were in the vehicle for nearly an hour before a good Samaritan stepped in.
The woman who saved the children didn't want to be identified, but says she want to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children in a hot car.
This happened Friday afternoon at a shopping center on 281 and Thousand Oaks as temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees.
"Leaving children, or other individuals who are at risk in a car in this climate, this high temperature, is always the wrong decision," said Dr. Fred Campbell, Associate Professor of Medicine with UT Health San Antonio.
Dr. Campbell says there's no way to predict how quickly someone will suffer from a heat-related illness, heat stroke or death.
"Brain damage from the effect of extreme temperature. Elevations would be expected. Which affects respiratory drive. As well as an adverse effect on many vital organs such as the kidneys, the lungs, the heart. So death would follow relatively quickly," Dr. Campbell said.
The good Samaritan who rescued the children says she parked next to the car and noticed a boy in the front seat. The door was not locked, so she opened it.
Inside the vehicle with the four-year-old boy were two other children, including a two-year-old, and a one-month-old infant was in the back seat.
Police say their mother 33-year-old Angela Garza-Amador, left the children in the hot car for nearly an hour while she was shopping. She did eventually come out of the store and told police she didn't notice how long she was in the store.
Dr. Campbell says if you ever see anyone, or even pets in that situation call 911.
"So immersion in cold or ice water is considered to be essential, and that would be best executed by emerging emergency medical personnel," said Dr. Campbell.
Garza-Amador was arrested and is facing three charges of abandonment and child endangerment. She was released after posting bond.
Police say the children were taken to the hospital to be checked out, one was suffering from heat related issues but all are expected to be ok and are now in the custody of Child Protective Services.
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