A quick-thinking Georgia deputy has been hailed a hero after rescuing a toddler from a locked truck. Candler County Sheriff's Office Deputy Paine, who was just four days into his new job, sprang into action when an 18-month-old child was found trapped inside a vehicle. The rescue, captured on the deputy's bodycam, shows Deputy Paine expertly unlocking the pickup truck to free the distressed child. This footage was released earlier this week and quickly went viral, showcasing the rookie deputy's calm under pressure.

In a video obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, Deputy Paine can be seen working to unlock a car with a little girl visibly upset inside. According to the Sheriff's Office, many law enforcement agencies across the country have stopped unlocking vehicles, yet deputies in Candler County find themselves responding to these calls with some regularity—174 times since the beginning of the year, to be precise.

The Sheriff's Office noted that the recent incident underscores the importance of deputies' readiness for emergency scenarios, especially with the approach of the summer months. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has started to issue reminders in light of the incident and upcoming warmer weather, underlining the dangers that vehicles can pose to children due to rapidly rising temperatures.

According to WJCL, a child's body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult's, making them particularly vulnerable to heatstroke in hot vehicles. The NHTSA's reminders come after a concerning statistic from NoHeatstroke.org revealed that in 2023 alone, 29 children suffered fatal heatstroke in vehicles. The past years have seen record numbers, with 53 children dying each year in 2018 and 2019, the highest in over two decades.