Toddler saves man locked inside hot car

Passing 3-year-old came to elderly man's rescue

(YouTube)

Today in unusual role reversal news a 3-year-old comes to the rescue of an elderly man trapped inside a vehicle reaching over 120 degrees in the midday sun.

68-year-old Bob King was waiting for his wife to come back from an event at a church in Knoxville, Tennessee, when the doors of their car automatically locked.

Having suffered two strokes in six months, King was "in very bad shape" according to his wife Jenny and "could barely see anything", causing him to struggle to find the handle and push the door open.

With no car key to turn the air conditioning on, King was stuck in the vehicle on a 91 degree day, with the temperature inside the car reaching over 120 degrees.

Fortunately 3-year-old Keith Williams spotted the man as he was walking past the car.

"I hollered at him and he just looked at me kind of funny and I said ‘Get help, get help,’" King told ABC.

As it happened, Keith's mother had taught him about hot car safety just days beforehand, and while he was too short to open the car door himself he ran to get help.

"I was talking to someone and little Keith came behind me and kept saying, ‘Locked, locked, locked," nearby pastor Jack Greene said.

Keith then started pulling him by the hand, and kept saying “hot, hot.”

"I told the gentleman: ‘Excuse me for a minute’ and I followed him [Keith] out,” Greene added.

"When I saw Bob in the car, I said to myself: "Oh my Lord.'"

After a few tries, Greene managed to open the door and rescue King.

"His whole body was raining sweat. His face was red like a pickled beet," Greene said.