A five-year-old boy from Airdrie was taken to Alberta Children’s Hospital after falling out of a second-storey window of a Cooper’s Crossing home on May 14.
The Airdrie Fire Department (AFD) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) EMS teams responded to the incident at 8 p.m. on May 14 after the child fell approximately 12 feet to a wooden deck below.
“The child’s condition was deemed serious, but non-life-threatening when we arrived at the scene,” said EMS Public Education Officer Stuart Brideaux.
“It’s almost always considered serious due to the nature of this fall with respect to the height and surface that he fell to.”
The child’s condition as of press time was not known.
Brideaux said this is the most common type of fall-related injury the EMS sees around this time of year.
“Almost nine times out of 10 when we respond to a report of a fall, it’s a child that has fallen out of a second-storey window at a residential location,” he said.
“It’s not common to see a child fall from a balcony or somewhere higher like a high-rise apartment.”
May is window and balcony safety month for AHS and the organization has released a set of guidelines to prevent incidents like this from occurring that include:
• Move furniture such as cribs, beds, stools, and change tables away from windows to prevent access to them.
• Keep drapery cords out of children’s reach. Wrap excess cord around cleats or tie-downs to avoid a choking hazard.
• Remember: screens are designed to keep bugs out, not to keep children in.
For more information, visit www.albertahealthservices.ca
