Woman hopes invention will prevent hot car deaths

Umbilical Cord prevents driver from leaving vehicle

SAN ANTONIO – Martha Duran knows the statistics of child heatstroke deaths caused by parents forgetting them in the back seat.

"People say, 'Oh I could never forget my baby, never!' But it happens," Duran said. "It happened to a hospital CEO, it happened to a guy with twins, it happened two weeks ago in Helotes."

Empathy for those parents led Duran to begin thinking about a simple reminder for any parent with young children. Last month, she came up with her final product, the Umbilical Cord.

The patent pending device connects to the driver's side door handle and the handle of the driver's side backseat door.

"The driver gets out of the car and [the cord] stops them," Duran said. "They hear it, they see it, they feel it. They can't go any further. They look, and there's the baby."

Duran has met with area firefighters and police who have given her feedback and advice. She plans to meet with a state legislator next week to discuss possible laws or other ways to implement the device.

She plans to begin selling kits for $9.99 on Tuesday nights at Crossroads BBQ at Wonderland of the Americas Mall at 110 North Crossroads Boulevard from 2-5 p.m.

Interested parties can also call/text 830-477-8929 to order or for more information. A website is currently under construction.