DETROIT (WXYZ) — A toddler who fell out of a seven-story apartment window is now in critical condition.
It happened at 9 a.m. at the New Center Pavillion, near Woodward and Grand River in Detroit. The apartment building is eight stories high and the child fell out of a window from the seventh floor.
The boy fell into some mulch used for landscaping right below the window and that is what is believed to have saved the child's life. However, the child took a turn for the worse after it was originally reported that he had no serious injuries.
Police on the scene say the toddler was alone in the back bedroom. The window has locks but may have been open with the hot weather. The child apparently pushed on the screen when he fell out.
Police say the mom and dad were home at the time of the fall and are with their son at Children's Hospital. They were reportedly questioned by the child division of Detroit Police.
The American Academy of Pediatrics outlines what you can do to prevent this from happening to your child:
- Always supervise children when they play.
- Teach your children to play a safe distance from windows - at least 2 big steps away.
- Keep beds, furniture and anything a child can climb on away from windows.
- Lock all unopened windows.
- Only open windows that children cannot reach or are secured with a compliant safety device.
- Do not depend of screen to prevent falls. Screens are designed to keep bugs out - not children in.
- Replace broken windows and non-working parts as soon as possible.
- Open your windows from the top not the bottom, if possible.
- Install window safety devices that comply with ASTM F2090-2008 and 2010 standards.
- NEVER leave young children unattended near open windows.
Additional helpful resources to help prevent falls:
Pediatric falls ages 0–4: understanding demographics, mechanisms, and injury severities
Child safety
Safe Kids
