PASCO CO., Fla. — A Pasco County mom is warning other parents after her toddler was locked inside a hot car when a keyless entry safety feature locked unexpectedly, with the key inside the car.
Madison Hauser said she was leaving a Land O' Lakes park with her 2-year-old son, Grayson, when the incident happened. She said she followed her usual routine, putting Grayson in his car seat, placing her purse in the front seat, and then walking to the driver's-side door.
"When I tried to open the driver's side, it didn't open," Hauser said.
Hauser's 2019 Chevrolet Equinox is equipped with remote keyless entry, which she said is designed to detect when the key fob is inside the vehicle and prevent the doors from locking.
"It had never done it before," Hauser said, when asked if the car had ever locked with the key inside. "If the key was in the car and you tried to lock it and hit the button it would beep at you."
Body camera video from a Pasco County Sheriff's deputy shows the moments after Hauser realized Grayson was locked inside the car along with the key and called 911. The deputy arrived first and can be heard telling Hauser, "Hello, fire truck will be here in a second."
The body camera video showed firefighters working on both sides of the car, trying to unlock the doors. When those efforts failed, they broke a window to get Grayson out.
"I heard the glass shatter and it was immediate relief, it was hurry, hurry, hurry get him out and someone crawled in and got him," Hauser said.
Grayson was pulled from the car 18 minutes after the 911 call was made. Hauser said he was treated in a waiting ambulance for dehydration but went home that day okay.
"It's so close to being the same story that you hear about, kid dies in a hot car," Hauser said.
Hauser said she wants answers from Chevrolet and hopes other parents see the body camera video as a warning.
"These remote keys were supposed to be the new thing, the safe thing," Hauser said.
Chevrolet did not respond to requests for comment. However, a page on Chevrolet's website about lockouts states the "system is designed not to perform a lock request if the key fob is detected inside the vehicle, yet in certain situations, you can still become locked out."
Chris Wallin, the lead technician at Brazzeal Automotive, demonstrated how keyless entry is supposed to work using another vehicle. When a key fob was placed inside and the lock button was pressed, the car beeped and did not lock.
"It's one of those things it's not supposed to happen but sometimes those things do happen," Wallin said.
While Tampa Bay 28 was getting more video with Wallin, the car did lock with the key fob inside.
"Keep the key on you, you never know what's going to happen," Wallin said.
Hauser said she does not want another family to experience what hers went through.
"We were so close to losing everything," Hauser said.
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