Everett Fire transported a 16-month-old girl to Providence Regional Medical Center Saturday late afternoon after falling approximately 35 feet from a third-story window at an apartment complex in the Cascade View Neighborhood off of Everett Mall Way. Thankfully, the child only suffered a minor foot injury and has since been released from the hospital.
This is the third instance of a child falling from a window this year for Everett Fire, and several more throughout Snohomish County.
Everett Fire urges parents and caregivers of young children to take precautions and talk about window safety with everyone in the household, especially during warm weather when windows tend to be open more. Children are curious and they are fast. In this case, the child was playing in a bedroom with an older sibling when the window was opened by the sibling due to the warm weather. The toddler climbed up and leaned on the screen and fell. Screens can give a false sense of security, but the weight of a child can easily push through a screen.
Most window falls are preventable. Please help us spread the word by sharing these prevention tips with others:
- Install window guards and stops, which prevent unintentional window falls. They allow fresh air and a cross breeze and still ensure windows can’t open wide enough for kids to fall out.
- When opening a window for ventilation, use those located out of a child’s reach. Never open a window more than 4 inches.
- Don’t rely on insect screens to prevent a window fall. Insect screens are designed to keep bugs out, not to keep children in the home.
- Supervise children to keep child’s play away from windows, balconies, or patio doors.
- Keep kids from climbing near windows. For your crawlers and climbers, move chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows to help prevent window falls.
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