EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A two-year-old child taken to a hospital Friday after falling from a second story window will be released Saturday, and sheriff’s deputies in Eagle Mountain are calling it a “truly miraculous survival.”
Sgt. Tyler Collett of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said the child fell around 5 p.m. Friday at a home in Eagle Mountain.
The child was playing with some of his siblings in a second-story loft at the home when one of the children opened a window. The child pushed against a screen and fell from the window.
The boy was on a concrete driveway when officers arrived at the scene, and, though he was conscious and alert, he was taken to a hospital due to concerns he may have suffered internal injuries. The boy was taken by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Around 9 p.m. Friday, doctors told deputies the child had suffered only minor injuries and could be sent home Saturday. Though initially thought to be in serious condition, the child is expected to be OK.
The National Safety Council offers several tips for preventing falls from windows among young children, see below for the bullet points and click here for more details and tips on window safety.
- Remember, there is no substitute for adult supervision when it comes to window safety; keep an eye on children and keep their play safely away from windows
- Keep windows closed and locked when children are present
- When opening windows for ventilation, make sure children can’t reach them
- For a double-hung window on an upper floor of the home, open the top sash nearest the ceiling for ventilation while keeping the bottom sash closed
- Don’t rely on insect screens to prevent a fall; they are not designed to withstand the weight of a person
- Keep furniture away from windows as they could tempt a curious child to climb and potentially fall
- Don’t allow children to jump on beds or other furniture, which could lead to a fall
- If there are young children in the home, install ASTM-approved limited-opening hardware, which only allows a window to open a few inches
