A pair of Kansas shoe store employees were lauded for their actions after one of them found a 2-year-old locked inside a sweltering car in a Kansas City parking lot in July of 2015-photo of the rescue by Karamel Krissty
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas bill would legally protect Good Samaritans who break into vehicles to save overheating children and animals.
Lawmakers heard testimony Monday for the potential legislation.
The bill states it would provide immunity from civil liability when a vehicle is damaged by a person trying to aid a “vulnerable person or domestic animal” in situations where there is “imminent danger of harm” and law enforcement has been notified.
Greg Smith of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department says the bill could cause confusion with its definitions of a vulnerable person and of signs of impairment.
Carla Lewis of the Kansas Animal Control Association says the bill could increase public awareness about the dangers of leaving a child or pet in a car during dangerously hot weather.