A woman in America has avoided prosecution even though she left her two small children in a freezing car for 80 minutes.
The 26-year-old mother, from Indiana, left her 4-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter in her car while she went for a job interview in a local hospital.
After nearly 80 minutes the two children were so cold and scared that they ended up leaving the car and going into the hospital to get help. The staff said the children were pale and shivering when the arrived at the front desk.
According to
Fox News, the temperature was just 5degrees Fahrenheit, which is -15degrees Celsius, at the time. The mother maintains she left the car running, but Police report that the car was frozen over when they found it.
She wasn't arrested but will be investigated following the incident. Commenting on the situation, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said:
"No matter what temperature it is, it's always a bad idea to leave young children in a car by themselves. Hypothermia sets in instantly.
As soon as you get in these cold temperatures, in a matter of minutes your body goes into a hypothermic state and it can be detrimental to anyone, especially a child."
