Vehicular hyperthermia deaths in Indian children: a little recognised mode of fatal injury

Abstract

Parked vehicles can create deadly environments for young children who are left unattended. This study was a descriptive analysis to describe circumstances leading to death in children left unattended in parked motor vehicles in India. Between 2011 and 2018, there were 16 incidents that resulted in 28 fatalities across India, mostly in the summer months. The majority of children (19/28) were aged 4–6 years, of whom 25 (89%) gained access to unattended vehicles and became accidentally locked in. Hyperthermia-related deaths are a poorly recognised type of vehicular injury in India; there has been no analysis to describe circumstances leading to such fatalities.