Summer Hot Pavement Burns Toddler's Feet, A Mother Remembers

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — It was 1 p.m. in the afternoon on the hottest day of summer, 2016. A day mom Julie Kor will never forget.

Like many mothers in Orange County, Kor was trying to keep her kids cool.

"We don't have air conditioning in our Huntington Beach home, so I opened the door to go with the kids to the water table and kiddie pool to cool off," she said.

In a matter of seconds, her 16-month-old daughter started screaming.

"I raced to her, and she had blisters all over her feet," Kor said. "Her feet were literally covered in blisters."

With extreme weather across the country, days in excess of 90 degrees can lead to many dangers, like heat exhaustion and extreme dehydration. The urgent messages to never leave pets, children or the elderly in vehicles are commonplace this time of year. But super heated pavement is an invisible danger.

"I wish I had known how hot the asphalt could get," she said.

With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees in Orange County inland cities, Kor never expected to take her 16-month-old toddler to the emergency room for burns on her feet.

"The doctors at Fountain Valley Hospital Emergency Room were wonderful," she said. "They understood how fast these things can happen."

Accuweather.com stated that playground equipment--under scorching summer sun--can reach 120 to 130 degrees, according to Tom Kalousek, a certified playground safety instructor with the National Recreation and Park Association. To compare, 157 degrees F will fry an egg.

"Younger children, especially under five years old, can suffer second- or third-degree burns in a matter of moments," Kalousek said.

Kor reached out to her community through an Orange County Mom's Facebook group, nervous about telling others and any backlash she might receive but feeling strongly enough that the message be heard. What she discovered was a wealth of support.

"When I posted the story about my daughter, Rebecca, I was hesitant, but I felt it was necessary," she said. "Had I known it was such a huge risk, I would have taken every precaution."

More than 200 responses to her original post have shown support and offered additional guidance on other heat-related dangers that might catch mothers unaware. Temperatures of hose water, as well as car rims and playground equipment, have also been mentioned. One mother's plea for awareness has educated many.

"I wanted to share this story so that someone might learn from this horrible experience," she said. "The ground was so hot that it literally only took seconds."

As a mother, according to Kor, you have to do the right thing in every case, and the biggest step was reaching out to share her story with her fellow Orange County mothers.

Now, Kor said, little Rebecca is doing much better.

"We are watching her blisters and making sure that her feet don't become infected as they heal, and we've returned to the pediatrician and she is healing well," Kor said. "Rebecca is so brave, walking around like nothing happened."

See Also:

• Summer Safety Survival Guide
• 5 Lifesaving Tips About Pets In Hot Cars, California's 'Right To Rescue' Law

As for the Orange County Moms Facebook group, Julie is grateful for the support and encouragement.

"There have been so many positive responses and amazing support from mothers I've never met," she said. "It's great to know that such an awesome community of moms exists."

Photos by permission of Kor family.