Firefighters rescue three-week-old baby trapped in car
A three-week-old baby stuck in the back seat of a locked car was freed by firefighters today - and managed to stay blissfully asleep during the rescue.
Baby Joseph was unaware his mother Zoe Oliver dropped her car keys as she pulled out shopping from inside the vehicle he was in.
The baby remained asleep despite his mother attempting to break a window and then calling fire crews, who managed to rescue him at 9.45am.
The crew from Dudley arrived at the car in Turners Grove in Lower Gornal and broke a small passenger side window before using a tool to pick up the keys, which had fallen under a front seat.
The baby was then reunited with his relieved mother, who Watch Commander Russ Gauden said was 'absolutely thrilled'.
Mr Gauden said: "His mother and grandmother had just come back from a shop and the keys were dropped in the car, which then auto locked when a door was shut.
"Our concern was the rising temperature. When a car is stationary temperatures can increase by 20 per cent.
"The woman was shook up, she had tried to open the car herself by breaking the glass.
"We arrived and picked a front glass plane away from the baby to break. We broke it and then got the keys to get the baby out."
He added: "We gave the baby a quick check over, he was absolutely fine - he had remained asleep through the whole ordeal.
"The mother was absolutely thrilled. She had been distressed so as soon as we got the baby out, she was mightily relieved."
Grandmother Sue Oliver said she and her daughter were 'really worried' about the little one, as the car was sat in the glaring sun.
She said: "I had just put Joseph in the car and my handbag in the footwell with keys in it. The car door closed and it locked it automatically.
"My first thought was to get a lump hammer from the shed, but when it hit the window it just bounced off.
"We were really worried because the car was in a sun spot.
"I called a relative to bring the spare key, but he was in Kinver and it was going to take half an hour, so we called the fire brigade.
"They were here minutes and used a chisel to make a small hole in one of the windows and from that we were able to get in and get Joseph out."
Zoe Oliver, who lives in Turners Grove, said "He had started to cry at the start and we began to panic bout getting him out.
"The fire fighters were really quick and really nice. We can't thank them enough."
