A mum has sparked a fierce debate after she berated her husband for leaving her asleep in a hot car. According to the annoyed parent, her partner was driving the family home from a day out when she fell asleep in the passenger seat.
But she was shocked when she later woke up alone in the "boiling hot" car, parked outside their home. For while her husband took their children inside, he didn't rouse her.
Explaining her outrage in a post to Mumsnet, the woman wrote: "Him and the children all went inside, leaving me in the hot car parked in direct sunlight with all the windows up and doors closed.
"I only woke up about 15mins when my son came to look for something. I was boiling hot when I woke up and was so angry he'd left me there."
She added: "We'd had an argument earlier and I almost think he did it on purpose. He says he didn't know I was asleep and thought I was just sitting in the car for a while. I'd been sleeping with my head drooping forward about 10 miles so I think it would have been obvious."
Concluding her post, she emphasised that it was the condition of the car that worried her. "I'm upset what could have happened if I'd been there longer in that heat. There's no way I would leave a child in a hot car with windows all up so I don't see why he thinks it's OK to do it to me."
However, one commenter asked: "What would have happened to you? Surely you would just have woken up too hot and then got out?"
Another claimed: "You would have been ok, but it's a weird thing to do. I'd never leave my partner in the car if he fell asleep! Seems weirdly vindictive."
Replying to commenters, the mum said: "I don't think I would have died no but I think it's mean he just left me and didn't leave a window open. Just because I can regulate my body temp doesn't mean I couldn't have fainted from the heat or it was OK for him to do."
According to NHS guidance: "Children, older people and people with long-term health conditions (such as diabetes or heart problems) are more at risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke." However, everyone should be mindful of the symptoms of heat exhaustion, which does not usually require medical aid if the person can cool down within 30 minutes, and heatstroke, which should be treated as a medical emergency.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
