Dr. Carrie Bakunas Featured on CBS News Addressing Child Hot-Car Deaths

We are proud to recognize Carrie Bakunas, MD, Medical Director at Memorial Hermann Hospital and a valued faculty member in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UTHealth Houston, for being recently featured CBS Saturday Morning.

In the segment, Dr. Bakunas shared critical medical insight into the dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles: a tragedy that claims the lives of an average of 40 children each year in the U.S.

As Houston continues to face extreme heat, this message resonates deeply in our community. Dr. Bakunas explained that a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than that of an adult, underscoring the urgency of intervention:

“If you see a child alone in a car, call 911 and break the front window. Do what you can to try and cool them off — removing clothing, or applying ice packs to areas such as the neck or armpits.” – Carrie Bakunas, MD

Her leadership highlights not only preventive steps parents can take, but also the lifesaving role bystanders can play in emergencies!

We commend Dr. Bakunas for representing our department on a national stage and for highlighting this urgent public health issue that is especially critical here in Houston’s extreme summer heat.

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