A two-year-old boy died after falling off a balcony 24 floors high from a building in Alexandria, Virginia on Aug. 13.
The incident occurred at 5600 Seminary Road, Bailey’s Crossroads. Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) investigated by interviewing people at the building to determine what occurred at the time of the fall. The police pronounced the child dead at the scene.
The FCPD found that the toddler was under the supervision of an adult caregiver at the time of the incident.
Prior to this incident, another two toddler deaths had been reported in Virginia.
One occured at a building in Fairfax County, Virginia, wheer a 3-year-old fell from a window in May.
Family members present at the time of the incident said that the toddler fell through an open bedroom window that was screened. It happened at 5601 Seminary Road at around 6 p.m. on May 30.
The toddler was pronounced dead when he arrived at a hospital.
County Building Official Brian Foley said that the balcony barriers had not been replaced since the building was first constructed, WTOP reported.
A month after that fall, another three-year-old fell from a window in Magnolia Lane, Falls Church, Virginia.
An investigation determined that the child had been playing in an upper-level room when he leaned against an open window with a screen and fell out of the building.
The toddler was also found to have died from his injuries upon arrival at hospital.
Statistics
According to a Safe Kids Worldwide survey, window safety is not a primary concern for many parents. In a report, the organisation said that 70 percent of parents have never used window guards or anything that would stop windows from opening.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), eight children ages five and under die each year from falling through windows and 3,300 are injured. Parents need to know that window screens are no substitute for window guards, as the structural integrity of the screen cannot stop a child from falling out.
Apple, iPhone, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Another potential danger around windows are blind cords. Almost one child dies every month from being strangled by blind cords.
While 73 percent of parents surveyed reported having heard of children dying from blind cords, only 23 percent have made changes to make their blinds more safe by removing the cord or installing tension devices.
Prevention
It has been reported by the CPSC that 5,000 children fall out of windows every year.
Here is a list from SafeKid.org of preventative measures that you can take to improve the safety of the windows around your home to prevent potentially deadly falls:
To prevent a child from reaching a ledge or window, it is best to place beds and cribs away from windows.
Never leave children unattended with open windows as they may climb near windows and on balconies to get a better view. Falls can happen in a matter of seconds.
If a window needs to be opened for ventilation, make sure it is a window that your child can’t reach. Depending on the type of windows that are installed in your house, open windows from the top instead of the bottom.
Remember that growing children may have enough strength and dexterity to open the bottom pane.
Ensure curtain pulls and/or blind cords with cleats are fastened high on the window frame. Many children have been strangled while playing with dangling window blind cords.
