So- I locked my children in the car today. We were at the park and we were loading
up. I remote started the car. I unlocked
the doors. I put the girls in their seats.
I threw my phone and keys in the front passenger seat while I buckled
them in. I closed the back door, walked
around the car to open the driver’s door- and it was locked.
All the doors were locked. I didn’t even know that was a thing! I knew
that sometimes the car would lock it’s self if I unlocked it, but didn’t open a
door within a certain amount of time. I
never expected that it would lock its self with the key in range. It’s a keyless open/start. I thought if I
unlocked it and the key was in range it would stay unlocked. Actually, I never
thought about it at all. WHY would the
car LOCK itself at all? The car was
running on remote start (so I had about 10 minutes before it turned off and started
getting hot in there.) Ok- so locked car, no keys (not even an extra key-
anywhere) no phone. Crap.
I knocked on the window of the car parked next to me. I told
him I had just locked my kids, my keys and my phone in the car, and asked to
borrow his phone. I called D- he said
either call 911 or a locksmith.
My 911 call.
Arlington 911
Hi- I’m at Dottie Lynn Park and I’ve locked my keys and my
kids in the car.
Dottie Lynn Park? Is that in Ft. Worth?
No- it’s in Arlington, it’s an Arlington City park.
Do you have the address?
No- it’s on Norwood near Parkrow.
Is there a sign with the address?
No- It’s behind Duff Elementary School- It’s next to a
church that faces Parkrow. If you turn onto Norwood from Parkrow- it is just
after the church. It’s a big park, with a pool and a recreation center, and a
playground.
Hmmm- let me see if I can find it. Yeah-Ok. I got it. So- your kids are locked in the car. Are all
the doors locked?
Yes.
Do you have OnStar?
No.
Can you kids reach the keys or unlock the doors?
No.
Are the windows open?
(I’m trying to remain calm. I’m trying to remind myself he
has been trained to ask these inane questions. He apparently deals with more
dummies than I have imagined.)
I said, “No,” ---but
I was thinking, “God help us both, if you ask me one more idiotic question I
will reach through this stranger’s cell phone and strangle you! If I had
OnStar, or one of the doors was unlocked, or the kids could reach the keys or a
window was down I wouldn’t have to call 911!”
What is your phone number?
I won’t be able to answer my phone. It is locked in the car
with the keys and the kids. I’m using someone else’s phone.
So- the number you care calling from is 817-------
I don’t kno. . . ok, yes, that is the number. (I just agreed
without checking. What did it matter, dude’s got things to do, he’s not waiting
around.)
The fire station is just a few blocks away-I heard the
sirens within a minute of hanging up.
When the firefighters got there, the first thing they did
was check to see if any doors were unlocked.
Really? How often
does this happen? Wouldn’t I feel foolish if one of the doors was unlocked?
They slimjimmed the lock in just a few minutes. So much for the safety of locking my doors.
The girls were just sitting in the back, looking around-not
worried at all.
They got some badge stickers and little plastic helmets. They were shy with the firefighters, but
pretty pleased with their loot.
So- I can cross that off
my parental ‘to do’ list – called 911 to rescue my children- check!
